Two for Texas
by Ajun Cajun
Summary: This is the story of two different families and how they become an integral part of the development of the Southwest starting in the 1830's and into the Twentieth Century. Rated M, because history is not always pleasant and change is always violent. Oh, and the sex. Yes to Rizzles.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles or any of the characters depicted from the show do not belong to me. No infringement intended and no profit will be made from their use._**

**_Synopsis: This is the story of two different families and how they become an integral part of the development of the Southwest starting in the 1830's and into the Twentieth Century. Rated M, because of history is not always pleasant and change is always violent. Oh, and the sex. Yes to Rizzles._**

**Two for Texas**

Chapter 1: In the Beginning.

She was born on March 4, 1836 on a ranch outside of Wilson, Texas. Wilson was in Orange County in eastern Texas. Her father and mother were Italian emigrants from Milan, Italy. He was a cobbler and she was a cook. They had emigrated to American some five years earlier through the port of New Orleans. Francesco Rizzoli got a job working as a cobbler in the Texas Territory of Mexico in 1833 and moved to a Plantation near Austin, Texas. His wife Angela was hired as kitchen staff.

For three years, the couple saved every cent they could. Angela would make dresses and sew lace for extra money. Francesco would make shoes for sale and trade in town. Finally in 1834, they saved enough money to buy a small horse ranch. The ranch was 142 acres and had fourteen mares and a fine stallion.

By the start of 1835, the ranch had grown to thirty-seven mares, seven geldings and two stallions. Francesco still traded boots and shoes for stock and other items to improve his ranch. He had even started making enough money to hire an experienced horse wrangler named Vincent Korsak. Mustang Korsak was known for his ability to capture and break wild horse.

By the end of February, they were planning on going to the Rio Grande area to capture a herd of wild horses, which would surely double their herd. However, in April, came the news of the Texas Rebellion against Santa Ana.

Francesco had no quarrel with the Mexican Government. He believed in the word of law and refused participation. However, the new Texas Army needed horses. So, Sam Houston, himself, came to beg Francesco and Korsak to join the cause by training and breaking horses for the Army of the Republic of Texas. This personal touch move the new Texan. So Francesco and Korsak left with their horses to join Sam Houston in July of 1835.

Angela who was pregnant for the third time and had not told her husband. She had lost the two previous children before they were two days old. So as not to worry him, she kept it a secret. He was gone for almost a year.

With no money coming in, Angela was forced to live off her small vegetable garden and her couple dozen chickens. By January of 1836, Angela was forced to stay with neighbors. Her pregnancy was weighing on her and she could not stay alone any longer.

Those were hard days and when word came that Santa Ana had surrounded the Alamo, she fretted constantly over where her husband was. She just knew he was in the Alamo. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Francesco and Korsak were in Western Texas rounding up wild horses. In four weeks of work they had captured over two horses and were breaking them for the trip home. They wouldn't find out about the Alamo and the pregnancy until they arrived back, four days after Santa Ana's surrender.

Her baby girl Jane Clementine Rizzoli was two days old when news of the fall of the Alamo came. She was forty-seven days old when Santa Ana surrendered and the War for Independence was over. Jane was eighty-eighty days old when her father saw her for the first time.

One good thing came from her father's absence; he and Korsak had gotten to keep the captured West Texas herd. When Papa Rizzoli got home, he was tortured by the sight of his ranch and his wife. Angela. Like most Italian women, she tended toward being heavy. When he got home, he found a slight thin woman, who had obviously struggled with putting food on the table. He would never forgive himself.

He took twenty horses and went to town. He came back with a wagon load of supplies, four pigs (one boar and three sows), ten cows, a bull and four bolts of dress cloth. Then he proceeded to build a pig pen and smoke house. His family would never go hungry again.

He had wanted a son to grow up to help with the ranch, but upon seeing his daughter's chubby face, he was hooked. She would be his favorite for the rest of his life.

Life was not easy in east Texas in those days. Indians still raided and rustlers were a constant problem. Francesco hired two cowboys to show him how to raise cattle. First thing he learned was that his ranch was too small. He needed more grazing land. He remembered the vast and wild lands of the West Texas, where he and Korsak had captured the herd. So he sent Korsak to scout the area around a new boom town called Dallas and find a place for a large cattle ranch.

Land titles in the 1830's were sketchy even in the settled areas. But in the wilds of Western Texas, they were non-existent. You took land and held it by force of will and your ability to tame it. There were Indians, wild animals and other men willing to kill to take what you had. Additionally, Western Texas was still disputed land and mostly controlled by Mexico. It was in West Texas, Francesco became Big Frank Rizzoli, cattleman.

Francesco Rizzoli became Big Frank Rizzoli in November of 1837. He had always been a big man, who could handle himself. But four days before Thanksgiving, Francesco Rizzoli was buying supplies for the holiday. He went to town with his wife and child.

Jane was 19 months old and a wild chubby toddler with long legs and chocolate eyes. She had learned to walk by 11 months and to run, though awkwardly, by 14 months. Angela was forever chasing after her daughter, many times with the youngster totally naked.

She turned her back for one moment in the store to examine some corn and Jane was out the door. Jane ran into a burly man, with filthy clothes, bad teeth and a worse attitude. He picked up the child and started tossing her in the air.

He tossed her higher and higher, while laughing at the sight. At first Jane loved the attention, but the height was starting to scare her. So she did the one thing she could do to defend herself, she urinated on the man.

Though she was wearing her underwear, the thin cotton cloth couldn't contain the flow. The brute got a face full. He howled in rage and started to throw the crying child. At which point her father appeared, with his Ballard rifle in hand and leveled at the man. He said quietly, "Put her down gently."

Though he said the words softly, there was no mistaking the implication. The man was violent, not stupid. With great care and while watching the rifle pointed at him, he put down the toddler. Once on the ground she bolted to her nearly hysterical mother.

Francesco was trembling with anger. Who would treat a baby with such malice? He leaned his rifle against the wall and walked up to the bully and backhanded him across the face. Hard work had made Francesco strong and hard. His blow caused the stranger's knees to buckle.

At this point his two brothers came out of the saloon two buildings down. They had had a few and saw a man strike their brother. They ran toward the two brawling men.

Francesco saw two men charging out of the corner of his eye. He didn't have any friends in town, so they could only be enemies. Francesco pushed his opponent over a hitching rail and turn to meet his two new opponents.

Reaching out his two arms, he dove at the two charging men and clothes lined them. His arms were board and muscled by years of work and the two brothers fell like two rotten oaks. One of the brothers was gasping for air and the other's head hit the harden ground, knocking him out cold.

The big rancher turned to his original foe, who was slowly getting up on wobbly legs. At that moment Big Frank was born. Francesco grabbed the woozy bully and lifted him over his head, like he had done with two hundred pound sacks his whole life. Then he hurled the flailing man twenty feet into the street.

The crowd that had formed cheered. The three brothers had been raising hell in town for three weeks and it was time someone had put them in their place. None of the brothers were getting up anytime soon, they had had enough.

Several of the townsmen were patting the embarrassed father, who was not used to attention. Thanking everyone, he struggled through the crowd to get to his family. Angela was beaming with pride and holding a damp towel for her husband to clean himself up. One of the townsmen asked, "What's your name, pard?"

He answered proudly, "Francesco Rizzoli."

And the man clapped him on the back and exclaimed, "Well, Frank, let me buy you a drink. Those brothers have been breaking up my saloon for weeks. You earned a drink. Hell, after that fight, the first drink is on me, everybody."

Everyone cheered. And Big Frank, as he would be known from this moment forward, couldn't buy a drink that night. After downing several shots of coarse rye whiskey, he had to excuse himself from the party. His family was waiting.

After the big fight and some hard liquor, Big Frank was in no shape to drive home. So, Angela decided that they would stay overnight in town. Besides, Frank needed two new hands, who could handle wild stock. He and Korsak planned to round up brush cattle. A lot of cattle escaped into the wild brush of West Texas and New Mexico from Mexico and drifted north. The escaped cattle would have calves and soon a major herd of cattle was available for those who wanted to do the work of rounding them up.

While at the saloon, he had put out the word, he needed two hands, who knew wild cattle. He announced the need to the hotel clerk, as well. While eating dinner in the hotel, the three men, who had been beaten by him, came to his table with their hats in their hands and said, "Mr. Rizzoli, sir, we heared from the hotel clerk, you're alookin' for some hands. Me and my brothers be huntin' work. Iffin you can forget our rowl, we could sure use the jobs."

Big Frank needed only two hands, but three was better. "Boys, our little disagreement is past. Hell, what's a little fighting between real men. I pay $8 dollars a month in silver and found. If you prove to be a top hand, I'll raise it to $10. Do we have a deal?"

The three men smiled and replied excitedly, "You got you three good hands, sir."

"Do you boys need any eating money," asked the big rancher.

The three hands shuffled their feet, too embarrassed to answer. Frank Rizzoli knew the feeling. So, he took out three silver dollars and put them on the table. The biggest one scooped up the money and said, "Mr. Rizzoli, my name is Adam Wakefield. These are my brothers Benjamin and Cane."

"Well, Adam, meet us at first light at the water tower. We'll be leaving for my place then."

Three men scanned the room and moved to an empty table to have dinner. Angela spooned her young daughter some stewed apples and softened vegetables.

The new ranch was not as ready as Big Frank had hoped. The house was in need of major repairs and the bunkhouse needed a new roof and some beds. Luckily Cain Whitfield was an excellent carpenter. He directed the repairs on the house and bunkhouse, while personally building new beds for the bunkhouse.

The beds were simple rope beds. The mattresses were made by stuffing feathers into large cloth sacks and then sewing them up. It was not the best mattresses, but they would serve for winter was coming fast.

Winter was a real fear. It was only a few weeks away and the house repairs were still unstarted. Late fall in this area of West Texas was harsh. The area was rich in grass and brush, but trees were a different matter. The area was nearly devoid of trees.

The grass, mainly alfalfa and oats, which had been allowed to grow wildly, was browning now and had to harvested and baled to feed the stock during the winter months, which could be anywhere from mild and pleasant to harsh with inches of snow. Though the days were pleasant, the nights were cold and bitter. The wind was most from the west and north in November and therefore very dry with little to no rainfall.

This ranch had been abandoned three years earlier. The Mexican family that owned it returned south, unable to deal with the isolation and the Indians. For three years, nothing had been done to curb nature. And nature does not like dead things just lying around. She will try to eat those dead things so they can be reborn as living breathing plants for her animals to eat.

So for two weeks, Angela and a young Spanish girl they had hired, named Maria Sanchez, cut and baled the grass that had tried to grow throughout the clearing of the house and outbuildings. The barn itself was filled with wild oats, which had to harvest and the roots dug up and destroyed.

The men finished the bunkhouse first. It was large enough for everyone to live and had two fireplaces, so it was easily heated. Angela and Maria cooked in one fireplace, but baked in an outdoor kiln. Angela and Maria spent hours just making the yeast and pearl ash needed to bake bread. Each day the pair would clean out the kiln and fireplaces and fill the ash bins, there were six, two by the house, two by the barn and two by the bunkhouse.

Ash was needed for many things, like making pearlash for rising cakes and bread. Nothing was really wasted in 1830, garbage was nearly non-existent. The fat from animals was scraped away and put in their intestines, which created long tubes of fat. The fat could be used to make lard or enrich soups. The bones were drained of marrow, which also was used to enrich soups. The bones themselves were saved to burn in winter; as the sparse trees could not be counted on to provide wood to burn in the cold winter months. The hides were dried and stretched. Some pelts would keep their fur to make heavy coats and others would be scraped to make leather.

When the brush was cleared, the large trunk of the brush was used for fire wood and the small branches used for kindling, while the leaves of many of these bushes were mixed in with slop for the pigs.

One of the men went hunting every day. Except for Cain, who was always busy with rebuilding all the out-buildings. The men took turns shooting game and bringing home the carcass to be processed by the women. This wasn't mere male pride, but practicality. The men had to finish the buildings, so it was up to the women to store the needed food for winter and make the fur coats. The most important job was to make the vital leather needed to keep everything going.

Clothing, saddles, harnesses, bridles, bits, lashing, boots, shoes, gloves were all made from leather. Nails were in short supply, so most of the fencing for the corral and pig pen was lashed together. Notches were cut in the fence posts and cross logs and fitted together and lashed. These lashes had to be checked and changed several times a year or the rotted lashes would break and the fence would collapse.

All and all, everyone worked from just before dawn to the early evening hours. Everyone was constantly working, except the guard on duty. There was a windmill used to pump water from the well. It was the first thing Cain repaired. Yet it served another purpose. From its height you could see all the surrounding area. A man was always stationed on the windmill with two rifles, a pistol, a bow and arrow and extra shot. His job was to warn everyone of an Indian attack and to keep the attackers at bay long enough for everyone, except himself and Maria, to get to the bunkhouse.

It was Maria's job to climb the windmill and get to the guard so she could reload his weapons as he used them. It was a dangerous job, but a necessary one. Angela would have to reload for the four men in the bunkhouse. Additionally, she was the doctor. During a battle, she would keep a fire going in the fireplace with the poking iron in the flames to get it red hot. If someone was injured, she would remove any foreign object, like an arrowhead or musket ball, and cauterize the wound with the hot iron. After the battle the wound would be cleaned with hot water, treated with lard and bandaged.

Toddler Jane's days were filled with loneliness. She was too young to do much to help. She didn't have the manual dexterity or strength to help. Her days were spent inside the bunkhouse playing with her homemade doll and an old shoe with which she liked to pound the floor. The fireplaces were bank and smoldering and provided little light.

Glass was rare in this country, so the windows were shuttered and barred against the elements. The only light in the room came from the cross slates in the shutters and from the glow of the banked embers of the fireplace.

Four of the beds were turned on their sides and squared together to make her play area. She could crawl out between the beds, but was punished by her mother when she did so. So, she learned to stay in the play area. Her mother would check on her daughter every hour or so. There was a pot for young Jane to use for her toilet, which her mother checked, emptied and cleaned with each visit.

Jane's world was dark and lonely. She would have loved to go with the others, but it was not safe for a toddler. So, she was settled in her prison with a pail of water and some slices of cake or plate of cookies.

It was the middle of December that toddler Jane had her first brush with death. The sealed room kept out the large animals, but did little to keep out rodents and reptiles. That was the job of the two large house cats that the Rizzoli's kept. The cats were named Romulus and Remus. They were two large five year old black and gray cats. The felines would roam the house looking for intruders and they didn't need to be fed much beyond what they caught.

One day, while Romulus was in the loft ferreting out a pesty squirrel and Remus was under a dresser finishing a mouse, a snake slithered into the house through a break in flooring. Cain was going to work on the spot, when he got the chance, but a loose floor board was a minor thing, when barns needed rebuilding and the main house was still leaking when it rained.

The four foot rattler slithered into the house looking for warmth and was startled by the appearance of Remus from under the dresser. The cat hissed and the rattler hissed back. Not really looking from a confrontation, the rattler snaked quickly away from the pursuing cat. In the rattler's path was Jane's play area. The snake was quickly through the opening between the beds and encountered the startled child.

The rattler coiled to strike and Remus would not be in time, but Little Jane was always one to take action. This trait would mark her entire life. Picking up her father's old shoe, she bashed the striking snake. The snake managed to avoid most of the attack, but the shoe did graze its head, dazing it for a moment. The snake readied to strike again, but Remus came crashing into the area and leapt into the fray. The cat had bit into the back of the snake, right below the head. The wound was not fatal and snake was coiling around the cat to crush him. But Jane was not finished. She knew she was in danger and her instinct told her to act. So the young child smashed the rattler's head. For good measure, she smashed the head four more times.

Minutes later Angela came in to check her child, when she found the dead snake being consumed by the two cats. Quickly, she grabbed her child, who said over and over, "I go boom and boom and boom."

Angela rushed out to get Frank. Frank came into the large room to find out what happened. From the smashed snake head and the bloody shoe, he came to a quick conclusion. His daughter had somehow killed the large rattler. Back trailing the snake's slime trail, he found the loose floor board. Using one of the precious nails, he hammered down the board. He would have Cain go over every inch of the bunkhouse to insure his daughter's safety.

The proud father took his daughter from her mother's hands and lifted her into the air and shouted, "Janie, you boomed the snake, huh?"

The child laughed and squealed, savoring the unusual attention. For several days after either Maria or Angela check the child every few minutes. But the attention only lasted five days and soon everyone was back to their normal routine. Except for one of the barn cats, who was brought into the bunkhouse. Her name was Marlene.

Patrick Michael Doyle owned a small inn in Ronce in Western France near the city of Rochefort, but that was not where Doyle made most of his fortune. Most of his fortune was made as a smuggler. In 1798, his father, a leading member of the Society United Irishmen, led a company of men at Carlow. He was wounded and forced to go into hiding. When the exile occurred in 1802, the newly name Robert Bruce Doyle sailed to France.

In 1803, Robert joined the Irish Legion to become part of Napoleon's invasion of Ireland. In 1805, the Irish Legion raised its own battle flag and was ready to fight for their homeland. However, the defeat of the French Fleet at Trafalgar forced an end to that invasion and Captain Doyle of the Irish legion spends the next 6 years on garrison duty near Bordeaux.

It was there he met Margarie Lateur, an inn keeper's daughter from Ronce a small fishing village south of Rochefort. The innkeeper needed the garrison to look the other way when his shipments enter the bay four miles from the Rochefort harbor. They were married on September 14, 1806. The father's first shipment arrived on September 15th. By October, Margarie was pregnant. On July 3, 1807, Patrick Doyle was born. On July 6th, his mother died.

With a wet nurse and a housekeeper, Patrick grew. His father had little attention to pay the child. He was constantly fighting off English raiders, trying to gain a foothold in France. Rochefort was one of the major ports in France and one of the furthest from Paris. His garrison of only 600 Irishmen and forty cannon was barely enough to do the job.

On March 18, 1807, a British ship of the line landed 200 marines and sailors south of Rochefort near Ronce in a raid of coastal positions of cannon. This was an attempt to soften the defenses of the town in order to invade the main city. Captain Doyle received word of the attempt from his father-in-law and personally met the invaders. He cutoff the majority of them from their boats, including their Captain Leland McGregor. Without any ships to capture it, the British 120-gunner got away.

To taunt the ship into coming back, Doyle hung one hundred sailors and marines, including their captain. The ship returned and fired its cannon on the town for two days. Captain Doyle sent a rider to his general telling him of the under-crewed British ship. However, the ship retreated before the French fleet could arrive.

From that moment forward, the four frigate fleet remained in Rochefort. Napoleon was ecstatic over the defeat of the British at Bordeaux. Though no real damage was done to the English, it was a welcome victory after so many defeats at the hands of the English Navy. Doyle was called to Paris, where he received a gold medal and 100 golden Napoleons.

Doyle returned to Rochefort a French hero. His father-in-law took the money and made Doyle a partner in his inn and other activities. With capital to work with, Lateur soon had a network of smugglers throughout Western France.

In 1808, the Irish were all formed into a regiment and sent to Spain in what was to be known as the "The Peninsular War." Napoleon himself promoted Doyle to Colonel. Colonel Doyle was given command of the Irish cannon. His cannon were instrumental in the conquest of Madrid following the Dos de Mayo Uprising. At the Siege of Astorgia, the Irish regiment led the charge into the city.

In 1811, while serving as part of Masséna's Army of Portugal, Colonel Robert Bruce Doyle lost a leg below the knee cap and the sight in his left eye. He was pensioned out and moved back to Ronce. With the loot, he had amassed from cities and villages, his troops had ransacked, Robert Doyle secretly formed a group of wounded Irish veterans. This group edged out their French competition. His father-in-law never expected the knife that killed him.

By 1813, Doyle saw the handwriting on the wall and started smuggling in minor French nobles, who had been exiled to England and America. He knew it was only a matter of time before Napoleon fell and he wanted to be on the winning side. So the man that hung a British Sea Captain smuggled in a British Colonel and his command. On March 11, 1813, the British contingent along with French Loyalist captured the port of Rochefort.

With Napoleon fighting in Austria against the alliance of German states could not afford the troops to recapture the city. He planned to defeat the alliance and then retake several cities that the British had captured. One year later, Napoleon I was forced to sign the Treaty of Chaumont and he was exiled to the Island of Elba.

When the Bourbon monarchy was reestablished, the nobles smuggled into France by Doyle were more than happy to look the other way at his activities, as long as they profited by those activities. And profit they did.

The rule of the Louis XVIII was very profitable. Between the Royalist and the Liberals, business for smart smugglers was premium. As long as the money flowed to both sides, everyone was happy.

In 1824, two things happened Louis was replaced by Charles X and Robert Doyle was murdered. While tending the bar of his inn in Ronce, an English sailor shot and killed the murder of an English Sea Captain. His 17 year old son, Patrick personally knifed the man before he could escape.

Patrick had been one of his father's lieutenants for two years, but several older lieutenants felt they could do a better job. In early 1825, seven bodies of prominent Irish veterans were found floating in the waters around Ronce with their throats cut. No one disputed Patrick's claim to his father's business after that.

However, the reign of Charles X was very repressive. In his first act as King, Charles attempted to unify the House of Bourbon by granting his cousin of the House of Orléans the title of Royal Highness. The family had been deprived of the title by Louis XVIII, because of the former Duke of Orléans' role in the death of Louis XVI.

Charles's government passed a series of laws that bolstered the power of the nobility and clergy. Charles gave his Prime Minister, Jean-Baptiste de Villèle, lists of laws to be ratified every time parliament met. In April 1825, he gave nobles government bonds for those who had lost their lands, in exchange for their renunciation of their ownership. It cost the state approximately 988 million francs and forced taxes to be raised. In the same month, the Anti-Sacrilege Act was passed. Charles's government attempted to re-establish male only primogeniture for families paying over 300 francs in tax, but the measure was voted down in the Chamber of Deputies.

In order to pay the new taxes, tariffs were raised and smugglers were arrested and hung. Patrick was forced to stop all smuggling activity for two years. In late 1826, Patrick reestablished his ring of smugglers in a small way.

In 1830, Charles was deposed in favor of Louis-Phillippe. Charles had tried to usurp the power of the Chambers and become absolute monarch of France. The people immediately took to the streets and the Les Trois Glorieuses, the three glorious days, was born. Patrick and had planted many discontents in Paris and they were very vocal in the streets. They even hired some ex-soldiers to participate in the barricades.

Under Louis-Phillippe, the haute bourgeoisie, the high bourgeoisie, of bankers, financiers, industrialists and merchants flourished. One of which was Patrick Doyle. In 1837, the thirty year old purchased a vineyard and wine factory in Bordeaux. Though he kept his less reputable business, he was now respectable.

In that same year, Patrick met a young noble woman named Hope Martine. He was strong, handsome and roguish. Hope was young and infatuated. She was only 16 and bored. Her father was a member of the Chamber of Peers. So, when the young woman became pregnant, her father made her give the child to an English Baron named Fredrick and Constance Isles. Maura Dorthea Isles never touched her mother and was on a ship to England by March 12, 1838 at the age of eight days.

Baron Martine sent his daughter to his sister in Paris, where she became a renowned artist and married a wealthy count. Patrick Doyle found out about his daughter, only after her ship had sailed for England.

Fredrick was a former Sea Captain, who was knighted by King George III in 1804 for the sum of Ᵽ10,000; the sum of the King's gambling debt to Captain Isles. Isles was a notorious whist player and was always known for playing for high stakes. The King thought he was a great whist player and played high stakes.

Sir Fredrick had been a privateer, a very successful privateer. He, then, became involved the rum trade. He had three sugar cane plantations in the West Indies and a rum mill in Savannah, Georgia. His ships would take the sugar to Georgia, where it was turned to rum and brought to England for sale.

By 1820, he owned a fleet of twenty ships, with five more plantations and another rum mill in Louisiana. In fact, he was in Rochefort to purchase three old frigates from King Charles. Not only did he get his ships, but he also got a daughter. The Isles were childless and Fredrick had gotten typhus while at sea and could not have children after he recovered. In fact, he never fully recovered and was constantly plagued by illness and fatigue.

The trip to Port Talbot was very safe with Captain Isles's original three 32 gun frigates and the three 42 gun French frigates, no pirate or pirate group would dare to attack. This part of the Atlantic was calm and peaceful this time of year.

Port Talbot was not yet complete. The Talbot family was diverting River Afan to open their land to a dock, which was under construction. Captain Isles had agreed to dock at five of his ships and construct three warehouses on their dock area. The agreement was sealed by his marriage to a younger cousin.

Constance Isles was born a Talbot. She was a direct descendent of John Talbot, who fought valiantly at the Battle of Cressy in 1346. He had also noted dog breed and breed the first beagle. Christopher Talbot the head of the family owned an ironworks in the area and wanted a Port from which to transport his product faster to his customers. However, he had no ships. He had, however, several female cousins. In particular, a very beautiful third cousin named Constance, who was unwed at the age of 19.

Captain Fredrick Isles had many ships and the capital to get many more. He was unwed at the age of 56. So, a bargain was struck and many documents were signed. And the young Constance was married to a man 37 years her senior. She vowed this would never happen to her Maura.

Constance, now 21, doted on the child. Constance had had a very liberal education. She had even attended Salem College in Virginia, where she studied the Arts. Captain Isles encouraged her to continue her education by hiring a retired Oxford Professor as a tutor. William Benton Talbot was a distant relative of Constance, who retired to a small cottage in Bryn. The cottage was rented to him by Constance's father.

When young Constance had been recalled home from her Virginia College, she had been devastated. She came home sullen and cross. She was shrewish toward her new husband to be. So, to placate her and make her a bit more cooperative, her father convinced his cousin tenant to complete his daughter's education.

At first, the former college professor did not want to tutor a woman. He felt like most Oxford and Cambridge professors that education was wasted on women. But after talking to the bright if not brilliant woman, he decided to tutor her. One thing that Professor Talbot cherished over anything else was talent. He had two prize possessions, one was a third generation copy of Chaucer transcribed by Westminster Monks in 1325 and the other is a non-published original Marlowe play in his hand. He received these items from parents of students that showed talent, but were not reaching their potential. Professor Talbot got them to reach their potential.

Now, he was going to get Constance Isles to reach her full potential. What he didn't know was he was going to have an even more talented student in the near future.

The Isles employed a nanny and wet nurse in France by the name of Gina Deville. Gina was of mixed Italian and French descent. She was an intelligent and witty twenty year-old with two girls, Georgina, who was 3 and her newborn Bridgette. Her husband, Daniel O'Toole, was captured smuggling weapons into Ireland and sent to Newgate for twenty years. She was pretty lass with jet black hair and bright green eyes that turned to steel blue, when she was angry. She had a dark olive complexion and a very petite figure, despite having two children. Maura took an instant liking to her, but maybe that was because she was hungry.

Professor Talbot did not make the trip, which resulted in the adoption of Maura Isles. He had been preparing his new quarters and classroom in the Isles mansion in Swansea.

Swansea was headquarters of Isles Trade and Shipping Company, as well as the majority of the Isles fleet, which now consisted of 25 frigates, 5 merchant traders, 6 brigs, 10 schooners and 4 galleons, which he using only in home waters to transport goods from Wales to Dover, London, York, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The new family arrived at Port Talbot on April 4, 1838. One month old Maura was introduced to her Talbot cousins. They all adored the obviously beautiful baby with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Constance was in heaven. She had never been welcomed more by her family. Furthermore, Constance was being accepted and praised.

The real purpose of this stop was not to show off the new baby, but it was business. Captain Isles was here to finalize the purchase of the land on which he would build his warehouses. He had contracted to build three warehouses, but was actually planning on building five. He would store the steel for shipping. He had already lined up buyers in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Additionally, he had foreign buyers in France and Germany. He would ship to those customers from Dover to Pas de Calais.

Christopher Talbot was insistent on a firm date of when the ships would arrive. Fredrick assured his cousin that four galleons and a frigate would arrive in two weeks to take the first shipments. Though the docks were not complete, they were finished enough to load ships for shipment from the ironworks.

Christopher Talbot was also a liberal Member of Parliament. So, Sir Isles was looking for influence so he could made Lord; He had been giving gifts to influential members for months. Now, he would be getting an audience with Queen Victoria on June 3rd to present his case, which meant a sum to help Victoria with one of her pet projects. He, also, asked for political backing to get the harbor at Swansea deepened. Lastly, he also obtained financing for the building of five new clipper ships on condition that they will be docked at Port Talbot for five years.

Satisfied with his stop, Sir Isles decided to leave for Swansea on May 16. He would adequate time to get his family to London by June 3rd. He really needed that Lordship. All his plans lay in his getting into the House of Lords.

Sir Isles sailed into London harbor with his family and four frigates and two brigs. He was carrying a Ᵽ25,000 worth of silver nuggets, which he had had mined from a claim he acquired near El Paso, Texas. The claim came from a Mexican Rancher. Now, that Texas was an independent state, he needed British influence to insure his claim remain his.

Some very fine gold had been found in the raw silver ore. For every three pounds of silver being found, only one ounce of gold was being mined. At last count, the silver output was approximately 300 pounds a week. The silver and gold are milled and smelted in New Orleans and shipped to Swansea with a rum cargo.

The Isles would reside in a sixteen room manor constructed using classical Roman architecture between the Ladbroke and Norland estates. The three Isles were accompanied by Gina and her two daughters, Professor Talbot, Captain Isles's coxswain, Martin Tinsmith, Constance's handmaid, Melissa Tinsmith, the cook, Mistress Moore, Christopher's daughter and heir, Emily and her maid and cousin Hillary Talbot Grant. The household staff consisted of a gardener and his helper, two scullery maids, two kitchen maids, a butler and his assistant and six bullyboys as guards.

Gina and her daughters were assigned the bedroom off the nursery, the Isles got the master bedroom, Emily and Hillary had two adjoining rooms across from the master suite, Professor Talbot had the small bedroom off the library, where he would tutor Constance, while Fredrick and Emily were off on business and Coxswain Tinsmith and his daughter Melissa shared the servant's quarters with the permanent staff.

What was to be a two week stay, turned into a six month stay, as each audience with the Queen was rescheduled and rescheduled again and again.

Fredrick and Emily filled their days selling steel and wrought iron throughout the London area. With orders that would take two years to fulfill, Emily went home to Port Talbot to arrange for the steel and wrought iron to be loaded on Isles ships. Fredrick sent instructions with his coxswain to his assistant in Swansea. His daughter Melissa stayed.

Melissa was an intelligent girl and spent many hours in study with Constance and Professor Talbot. The professor was a lifelong bachelor. He was now nearly 50 and receiving a small pension. He would dearly love to still be teaching at Oxford, but he was a poor politician and with few friends in academia to help him, he was forced out by others who coveted his position.

However, the Professor was smitten with the 22 year old Melissa. Melissa was as fair and innocent as her father was dark and menacing. She had long blonde curls and bright blue eyes. Her face was of classic beauty and her figure was full and ripe. The truth was she could have married several time, but they always seemed to shy away when they met her father.

Constance knew before either of them that they were in love. But she knew Coxswain Tinsmith. No man was good enough for his daughter, so Mrs. Isles bided her time and looked for an opening to approach the matter with her husband.

So Constance and her entourage, consisting of the Professor, Melissa and two bullyboys toured London. They went to museums, the opera, the theater and the shops. Sometimes, Maura and Gina would accompany them to the shops, where Constance would dote on her daughter with new dresses and toys. Maura was a charming diversion to be taken off the shelf and played with and then put back on the shelf.

Fredrick on the other hand doted on his daughter with his affections. He would spend all his off hours playing with the young girl. She laughed whenever she would see him. Constance never forgave Maura for when she was five months old she spoke her first word, "Fada."

Other firsts for Maura happened in London during their stay. Her first step was taken just short of her eighth birth month. By her tenth month, she was toddling along on two legs at a good clip. By the time they departed London, she had an extraordinary vocabulary for a child short of one year.

Her father was amazed and proud of his child. He would often entertain his frequent guests with her advanced abilities. His clients and friends would marvel at her abilities. Constance, for her part, reveled in her daughter's beauty. Though most babies tended toward a chubby frame, Maura was a willow wand. Her legs did not bow as much as Bridget and her daughter had long beautiful blonde curls, which she refused to have cut.

Each night, Constance would brush her daughter's golden locks, one hundred strokes with Fredrick locking on with a smile. He would have been a content man, if only the Queen would stop stalling. He was considering his next move, when things finally came to a head when, word came from France that Louis Napoleon was stirring up trouble. Captain Isles was known to have friends in France that could be helpful.

In 1836, Louis Napoleon tried to overthrown the July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe. It had failed. Now, word was coming out of France that he was forming another attempt. The Queen needed information and because of Fredrick's contacts in France, the Queen was sure he could get it for her.

So, in a secret interview on January 14, 1839, the Queen made her pitch. If the Captain were to discover the plans of Louis Napoleon and deliver those plans to her, then she would make him Lord Isles. Captain Isles knew that this was a dangerous assignment, but the reward would be worth the risk. So, he started making plans to return to Rochefort.

Fredrick started the rumor that he was going on a selling trip to Rochefort for the Talbots. He would take his entire household to alleviate any suspicions. So six weeks short of Maura's first birthday, she was on her way back home.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Act two

Sir Fredrick sailed into Rochefort on March 4, 1839. The crossing had been very slow. The three ships had been becalmed for nearly a week. Several times boat crews were assigned to tow the ships using oars.

Waiting for the Isles family to dock was Patrick Doyle. Several days earlier two of the Isles's galleons had arrived with messages from Captain Fredrick, who had requested that Doyle meet him in Rochefort to discuss urgent business. Patrick Doyle had his own reasons for meeting the incoming ships.

He had long since moved his main operation to Rochefort. The magistrate here was much more cooperative than the one in Ronce. So, he had no need to come from Ronce to Rochefort. No, Doyle was here to meet the daughter, whom he had never seen; the daughter, who had been taken from him without his even laying eyes upon her.

Fredrick Isles was the first man off the ship when it docked. He strode purposefully toward the smuggler. He held out his hand, which Doyle shook firmly. Next came the luggage, which was being managed by several sailors.

Fredrick asked something that Doyle did not hear as he was focused on the activity coming from the ship. So, the Knight of Bath repeated, "Are our accommodations ready?"

Doyle, on whom the words finally registered, replied, "Yes, at your request, I have rented you a small villa by the shore with a private beach. I have also let you office space by the docks, as well as, four large warehouses. Your galleons have already been offloaded into the warehouse space and several buyers have already approached me with bids on the steel and wrought iron at prices about 20% higher than your instructions wanted."

"Did you make any sales," he replied with ill temper?

Doyle only smiled at the outburst, "Do you think me stupid? I know those were only opening bids. They are just bursting to get your iron. Our factories are not making near the quality of your stuff. So, it will bring at least twice what you be wanting."

Sir Fredrick could care less about profit in this case. He needed information and information came from greedy men easier than from honest men. He needed to speak with Doyle in private; the smuggler would be his best source of all.

While the men were talking three children were in tow with a woman, whom he knew. Doyle had met Gina many times and knew her children well. Her man was imprisoned delivering his goods. So, he knew which of the girls his daughter was. A single tear rolled down his face at the beauty of a child she was.

He quickly brushed aside the tear. He could show no weakness to this man or any other. And no one must know that this child was his. He had too many enemies, who would take advantage of such knowledge.

Constance glided before the children and the nanny holding a silk parasol and wearing golden silken robes in the shape of a gown. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her curves were quite obvious. She was by far the most amazingly beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Mrs. Isles held out her dainty hand to the man she knew was the father of her daughter. The old man, who had sold her the child, told her of the child's origins. Doyle gallantly took her hand on lightly kissed it. She smiled, "How delightful of you to meet us at the docks. Let me introduce you to OUR daughter, Maura."

Her greeting let him know she knew who he was and that she would protect her child to the best of her ability. He relaxed in that knowledge. He had been worried that this delicate flower would not be able to protect and love his child until that one statement. She was a lioness ready to protect her cub. What was more obvious and interesting was the fact that Captain Isles was ignorant of his daughter's parentage.

The child was presented to her father very formally. He asked and received permission to hold the child. She brightly sat in his arms. He relished her warmth for a moment and then reluctant returned the child to her new mother. He said with a grin, "You have a wonderful daughter. I do hope you will love her. I have no children of my own and am jealous of your bounty. If I could only afford the luxury of children, but a man in my business cannot have that weakness to exploit."

His message was equally clear. She was far safer with the Isles and he would lay no claim to the child. Relief was evident in the change in her posture. Yet, Sir Fredrick remained unobservant.

After his family was settled in their new lodgings, Captain Isles arranged to meet with Doyle in his newly rented offices. Workers were busily making the necessary changes to make this the offices of Isles Trading and Shipping. The outer windows were being painted with the necessary advertising. The windows on the doors were being painted with the appropriate message, so everyone knew where to go. Furnishings were being moved about from room to room in order to give each office its proper appearance. This afternoon an advertisement went out in the local papers calling for office staff and sales representatives. Everything looked the way it should look when someone was opening a new branch office.

But Patrick Doyle was no fool. The activity was too obvious. It looked the way it should, but for what purpose though. He could have done everything by correspondence. The office was unnecessary. Tension between France and England was still high, so why would a steel company from England open offices in France. Temporary sales made since, but a permanent office would never be allowed by Queen Victory's government of so vital a military resource.

All these thoughts were running through his head when he went to meet the English nobleman. Doyle hated the English nobility. England had driven his father from his native Ireland. Doyle continued his father's practice of smuggling weapons into Ireland to his Catholic brethren.

However, this man was not an average English noble. He had bought his title with money he had earned through raiding French shipping and French ports in the West Indies. This was a man of action, like himself. Additionally, this man was raising and sheltering his daughter. That counted for much.

So, as Doyle sat in a chair across from the desk of Fredrick Isles, he wondered what was really going on. He, also, wondered if he would really find out, as he asked, "Okay, boyo, what is this all about? I know it ain't to open no trading branch. It makes no sense. You could have hired any number of men, including me, to do it for you. Why are you here, bucko?"

Fredrick knew he would never fool a man like Doyle, whose very profession required him to question every act by everyone around him. So, he decided to answer him as honestly as he could. But he started with a question that he knew would give a lot away, "Do you want Napoleon back? His tax collectors and gatherers, do you wish them to return? How about his secret police, do you wish there return?"

Doyle thought about that for a second. His father had fared well under the original Napoleon, but that was mainly because his father had been a war hero. War heroes got less scrutiny than others in the same business. In the end, his father had changed sides, so that protection would be gone. He had no wish for the days of Napoleon or Charles to return. They were not good for business. So he answered with the truth, "There is no profit in such a turn of events."

Captain Isles search the man's face, trying to read his inner thoughts. The man was unreadable. He had placed his family in danger, if he were wrong about this man. But he was committed, so he continued, "I'm here to see if Louis Napoleon will try another coup d'état like the one in '36. I have reason to believe that he is planning one soon. I need to find out where it will happen and when. I will pay generously for any and all information on the subject, but no one can know my true purpose. I am placing my life and the life of my family in your hands."

Doyle was not happy that the adventurer had placed his Maura in such a situation. He had lied when he said, he had no children. In secret he had son by a whore in Ronce, but the boy was hidden until he could grow to defend himself. He was now twelve and would soon take his place at his father's side, but Maura was a female and would never take to this life. He needed to protect her. Not to mention that she was all that he had left from the one true love he had in this life. "I'll want 20,000 ounces of silver now and another 20,000 when it is done. All bribes and expenses will come from that money, so it will be your only cost. You will more than make that up in your trading here. You will need to bring more shipments in. I would suggest rum and sugar though. Less obvious, than steel."

The trader laughed, "You would lecture me on trade. I have five frigates of rum, sugar and coffee on their way from Louisiana as we speak. I am in the process of purchasing a herd of cattle from Texas and will be bringing in beef as well. From what I have seen in the market places, I should be getting premium prices for such items. For further incentive, I have a proposal for you. I have the some influence with my government at the moment and can offer you and your men a Queen's pardon, if we are successful. You and your men could go home to Ireland."

Doyle thought on this. He already had a fairly elaborate network of smugglers in Ireland. Here he would always be a foreigner doing business, but in Ireland, he would be home. He smiled, "We have a deal."

"Go to my ship and tell my ship's captain to give you the Brighton Chest. In it you will find rubies, sapphires and emeralds worth Ᵽ25,000 sterling, which I believe is more than the entire amount you mentioned. I want a proper job. I will not have you short on funds to do it."

The men shook hands and Doyle left, mentally making a list of contacts in order to get the information he needed.

Doyle's hands were bloody from the wounds inflicted on the man tied to the oaken chair. It was the only sturdy chair in the room. The room was a really a wharf shack in Ronce far from prying eyes and loose tongues. The man could scream all he wanted. No one would hear him.

The man had been involved in the '36 coup attempt. His name was Pierre Marcón, he was a lawyer and in '36 he had arranged for investors for Louis Napoleon. He had gathered together some men with money and an interest in eliminating the haute bourgeoisie. If any man knew what was going on this one would.

For a lawyer, he had proven very tough. He had taken his beatings like a man. Doyle had to admire him for that, but now he was going to have to get serious. He leaned forward and whispered in the man's ear, "Vous pouvez y survivre. Donnez-moi juste un nom. Un nom." _You can survive this. Just give me a name. One name._

The wounded man mumbled, " Je ne suis pas un imbécile. Vous devrez me tuer, parce que vous ne pouvez pas être sûrs que j'irai chez la police." _I am not a fool. You will have to kill me, because you cannot be sure I will go to the police_.

Doyle laughed and snarled, "Vous n'irez pas chez la police, parce que vous devez expliquer votre impliquer avec Louis Napoleon." _You will not go to the police, because you have to explain your involve with Louis Napoleon_.

For emphasis he put his foot on the chair between the man's legs, "Un nom ou moi devrons commencer sur vos testicules." _One name or I will have to start on your testicles_.

He sighed with a tear, "Le fait de Monter d'Orléans" _The Rose of Orléans_.

Doyle walked away from the man's hearing. He did not know if he could speak English, so he said quietly to his bullyboys, "Clip his tongue and blind him. I told him he would survive. Just not how."

Patrick Doyle knew who the Rose of Orléans was. It was Hope Martine. Doyle knew she hated her father and all the bourgeoisie. But to support Louis Napoleon was just plain naïve. He will rape France like his great-uncle. The country was just recovering from Bonaparte. He must find out what she knows and keep her out of this mess. Doyle knew he still loved her, but he had to weigh the profit. And Louis-Napoleon was a bad risk.

Doyle sat down to write a love letter that should bring her back to Ronce for a visit. He would get the information when she arrived. Not knowing where this trail lead, Doyle called for Jonathan Dwyer. Jonathan was going to get the assistant to the magistrate for a short visit. It was a dangerous move to kidnap an official of the French government, but he had to do something to save Hope.

She was in over her head. He knew Louis-Napoleon would use her to sabotage her father and his friends and then cast her aside. He had all the Napoleon ego and little of the Napoleon loyalty. Bonaparte was many things and not a lot of them were good, but he was loyal to those who saved him. Though he lost his way because of his huge ego, he was always a man of honor.

Louis-Napoleon was not such a man. He was a manipulator and opportunist. He would do anything and use anyone to gain his own ends. To him, someone such as Hope was a fool to be used and discarded, because the only person that matter was Prince Louis-Napoleon, son of Louis King of Holland and brother to Napoleon Bonaparte.

Hope had to be saved from this foolishness. She had no idea of the man for whom she was worked.

The assistant to the magistrate of Ronce, Claude de Ville was a short balding man with a large paunch. He loved his food and wine. Jonathan Dwyer had watch him for three days and nights. Each night, he would stop at this café and drink a ten-year-old Bordeaux with a meal of escargot, a quiche Lorraine, baked brie, a cheese soufflé and top with a crème brulee. It was the same dinner three nights in a row.

Dwyer bribed the cooking staff to allow him to make the brulee. In it he added his own ingredient, which would cause Masseur Delareau to have strong stomach pains about one hour after eating the brulee. The café staff would never know.

After leaving the small café, the heavy clerk went home by his usual route. On the way home, he would always stopped at the bakery and bought a loaf of fresh bread and a strawberry tart and then at the wine shop and buy a Château Grillet. It was a fairly new wine grow in the Rhône district.

With purchases in hand the balding fat man turned onto his street. At that moment he doubled over in pain. Dwyer walked up to the man and asked him, "Je vous aide?" _Can I help you?_

"Oui, mon estomac me tue." _Yes, my stomach is killing me._

He took the heavy man under his armpits and helped him to his feet and said, "Je suis un docteur. Mon bureau n'est pas loin. Permettez-moi de vous aider là et je peux l'examen vous correctement." _I am a doctor. My office is not far. Let me help you there and I can exam you properly._

Dwyer walked him into a nearby alley and sapped him with a leather sap. He had a carriage waiting with two of his men. They helped him get the unconscious clerk into the carriage and the man take him to see Patrick Doyle.

The fat clerk woke to find himself bound to a chair. He struggled with the ropes for a moment and then decided that screaming would help more. He shouted, "Permettez-moi d'aller. Je suis l'assistant au juge d'instance. J'aurai chacun impliqué accroché. Permettez-moi d'aller immédiatement." _Let me go. I am the assistant to the magistrate. I will have everyone involved hanged. Let me go at once._

The room was totally black with darkness, except by the oaken chair. Six bulls-eye lanterns pointed at him in a rough circle. The light coming from the lanterns actually hurt his eyes. He squinted his eyes and search the darkness for anyone to blame.

A voice from the black said, "Vous ne devriez pas menacer d'une position de faiblesse. Il montre que vous êtes effrayés. Vous devriez être effrayés. Vous voyez si vous saviez qui n'importe lequel d'entre nous étaient, je devrais vous tuer pour nous protéger. Mais fortunity pour nous, vous n'avez aucune idée que nous sommes. Ce n'est pas vrai ? _You should not threaten from a position of weakness. It shows you are frightened. You should be frightened. You see if you knew who any of us were, I would have to kill you to protect us. But fortunity for us, you have no idea who we are. Isn't that true?_

The man bowed his head, beaten by a single truth, "Oui," _Yes_

"Maintenant vous allez me dire tout que vous êtes au courant des plans de Louis-Napoleon's pour son coup suivant d'état. Et avant que vous refusez qu'il y a n'importe quels plans. Soyez assurés que je sais qu'il y a un coup planifié. Maintenant, nous pouvons le faire aimablement et vous avoir à la maison bientôt. Ou nous pouvons le faire la voie dure, qui impliquent des rats affamés et des parties d'entre vous le corps étant leur repas suivant." _Now you are going to tell me everything you know about Louis-Napoleon's plans for his next coup d'état. And before you deny there are any plans. Be assured I know there is a planned coup. Now, we can do this pleasantly and have you back home shortly. Or we can do this the hard way, which involve hungry rats and parts of your body being their next meal_.

Claude Delareau was not a brave man nor was he a stupid man. He knew he would die a horrible death and still tell everything he knew. He knew the tortures would be terrible and make him talk. So, why suffer? So, he told them of the conversation the magistrate had with Stephan LeBlanc, a representative of Louis-Napoleon. LeBlanc outlined a plan for a coup at Boulogne using hired soldiers. He needed for the magistrate to arrange for a meeting with Spanish mercenaries. The meeting was arrange for two days from today in an inn outside of Ronce.

Doyle smiled. The inn was one of his. He will have to listen in on that conversation. Doyle signaled and one of his men came behind the sweating fat man and put a executioner's hood over his head and sapped him unconscious. The cowardly clerk would wake up in his bed in the morning, having lost only a few hours. He would go back to his life and would say nothing to anyone for fear of reprisal. The fat fool will be jumping at shadows for the rest of his life.

He waved for Dwyer and said, "Take him home and tuck him in. Leave him a note explaining his situation, should he mention our conversation to anyone. When he leaves for work arrange for him to followed. Make it obvious to even this fool. I want him nervous."

Dwyer smiled. Doyle was a crafty one. Dwyer thought, "I would just kill the man, but that would cause so many other problems. No Doyle has the right of it."

Dwyer signal for three men to help him and was off to bring the old fat fool home to his wine and baked goods. He would leave him fresh ones and wondered if the oaf would have the stones to eat them.

Doyle walked away planning how to overhear a quiet conversation.

Sir Fredrick meanwhile busied himself with meeting potential customers. They were all desperate for fresh goods. Trade with France was still slow, as other countries, who had suffered under Bonaparte, were not ready to forgive and forget. As a result, he was getting 30 to 40% over the original price he had thought to get for his goods.

In return for his steel and wrought iron, he received wine, cheese, and gems. He now had a fairly full chest of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and pearls. He sent the wine and cheese home with instruction for buying a shipment of wheat from America. France was having trouble feeding its people and grain was selling at very inflated prices. He mind as well make some profit from putting his life and family in danger.

Another thing was coming from his trade activity. He was getting information. He was also gaining the trust of those who would know of Louis-Napoleon's intrigues. By trading so openly, he was demonstrating that he was straying from Queen Victory. It was not in the best interest of Great Britain to have a strong France again.

Captain Isles thought differently. A weak France was open to intrigues. The people were restless and open to anyone who could relieve their hardships. The people were desperate and desperate people were dangerous people. He knew it would be in the Queen's best interest to help the present French government before the next tyrant took power, be it Louis-Napoleon or some other. The present situation cannot last.

All these ideas were drafted into a letter to Queen, which he sent by courier. He felt it was his obligation as a representative of the Queen to relay what he has found out first hand. He did not know what her ambassador were telling her, but he doubted they strayed much from the court or the bourgeoisie, which controlled Louis-Philippe.

He called for his man and his bodyguards. He needed to shop. Today was Maura's first birthday and he wanted to get her a grand gift. He had seen the perfect thing in a shop just six blocks from his offices.

There it was the perfect gift. It was a carousel with four carriages drawn by two white horses each. It stood about seven feet high and had a base of about twelve feet in diameter. She would love it. He purchased the item and arranged to have it delivered and installed with two hours. The clerk said it was impossible, but he had found that enough money made nothing impossible.

Next, he went to a dress shop next door and bought all the silk dresses that the woman had in Maura's size. He had them all boxed and wrapped in golden paper. He loved his daughter more than anyone or anything and spoiled her with his gifts and attention.

He had lived over 40 years with no family or no intentions of having one. Now, he knew what he missed and how empty his life had been without his little love. He had also grown to love Constance. What started as a marriage of business and convenience has grown into a marriage of love, at least for his part. It was hard to tell with Constance, she was so involved in her studies and her interests.

He knew of the coming storm. He knew his coxswain would never approve of his daughter marrying any man. He also knew his man was wrong. Everyone needed someone to make them whole. That is why he has purposely kept Martin in Swansea. He would arrange a discrete marriage between the quiet and shy professor and the beautiful and gay Melissa, while here in France. Then, there would be little Martin could do. He would see to that.

The trader walked into a store that made clockwork toys and porcelain dolls. He purchased ten clockwork toys and twenty porcelain dolls with fifty extra dresses. He left the proper instructions and left.

He had finished his planned stops and was about to enter his carriage, when he saw in a shop window, the last gift. He walked across the road and enter the shop. There it was a large blackboard with a child's desk. It was decorated with ivory and mother of pearl. It had a porcelain finish and was a pale but lively pink. He knew his child was far advanced and gifted with a bright intelligence. This was a gift for the future as well as now. It would be in his house within the hour.

He went to his carriage satisfied with his life and knowing he had everything a man could wish for.

Constance was fussing at a servant about the cake. The cake had to perfect. She was so excited. Constance was never one to involve herself with the activities of the household like so many other housewives, but this was different. This was her love's first birthday. It had to be perfect.

She hired a professional caterer to handle the affair, but she fussed and worried over every detail. She also hired an entire circus for the day. They were setting up their acts in the garden. There would be a fireworks display in the evening and a troupe of clowns and acrobats would be wondering the house performing as they roamed.

Two twenty piece orchestra would be playing constantly in the main dining room. There were two, so one could rest while the other played.

No expense was spared. Maura was no ordinary toddler. She could already converse in complete sentences. She walked better than Bridget, who was three months older. She could run without falling, which Bridget could not do.

Constance loved Bridget as well and had had a nice party for the child's first birthday. She had given the child a gold spoon and a silver brush set. Additionally, she had three silk dresses made for the child. After all the child was the constant playmate of her Maura and had to look presentable.

Constance was interrupted by a panting Georgina. The nearly four year old child was pulling on her dress and trying to say something between pants. Constance asked with an agitated tone, "What is it child?"

The child panted, "Mother has fallen. Come help."

Constance quickly called for two servants to accompany her to the nursery. There she found Gina lying on the floor. She went to the woman and felt her skin. It was clammy and hot. She was sick with fever. She ordered a doctor and had the servant lay the unconscious nanny on the nursery lounger.

She ordered the servants to get cold water and towel. Next she started to remove Gina's dress and petty coats. When she had the woman down to her shift, she looked for any signs of rashes or boils. She fear the plague or some such tragedy. All thoughts of the party were gone for the moment, while she examined the woman.

Though her skin was hot and moist, it felt smooth and inviting. Constance shook her head and went back to her task. The children were now all looking on with worry. Maura had come to love her nanny almost as much as her mother. She knew fever was a bad thing. She had seen the servant girl, Martha, die with the fever. She wasn't quite sure what die meant, but she knew it was bad.

Constance noticed the children and said, "Children go enjoy the day. Your mother is ill, but there are no other signs of anything terribly wrong. She will be fine. I promise. Now, go enjoy the circus and the clowns. Eat pastries and pies and stuff yourselves until you can eat no more. I will take care of our Gina."

The children were reluctant, but the pleasures of the world were inviting. Their attention was drawn to the excitement. So young minds went to the things that young minds could comprehend and the children were herded by a maid to see the wonders of childhood.

Cold water and towels were brought to the young mistress. She wet the towels and started wetting the hot skin with cold water. The water beaded on the young woman's bronze skin. Her breathing was stinted and coarse. Her chest rose with the effort.

Constance watched her chest rise and fall. She noticed how the water trailed lightly into her bosoms. She ran a towel between the bosoms. Gina's breasts were swollen and firm. Milk leaked from her nipples to be absorbed into her shift.

Constance looked about and found she was alone with the woman. She lightly removed the shift from the nipple and wiped the milk away with her towel. Constance gently squeezed the breast to extract more milk, then she wiped it away.

The young woman was aroused by the feel of the sick woman. She suddenly wanted to caress every part of her body. Constance had experience with other women. At the woman's college, she and her roommate had sex every night. They talked quietly of their love. Yet, they both knew that they were destined to be married to someone, who they would barely know.

When the news came for Constance to return to England, the two women had a tearful departure, both knowing they would never see each other again. They would never fondle and kiss each other again. Constance had never forgotten. Sex with her husband was pleasant and he was a tender and attentive lover, but he did not have the tender sensitivity of a woman.

At that moment, the doctor was heard rushing down the corridor. Constance quickly covered the nanny's breast and sponged some more cool water onto her head and neck. Quickly, the doctor examined her. He could find no apparent causes for a fever and diagnosed it be spring fever and gave her some powders to mix in water for the young woman to drink.

The party had been a roaring success, especially the carousel. The children rode it for hours. Other then Maura and the two Deville children, there was only one other child, Jean-Claude Bourbon. Jean-Claude was three years old. He was third cousin to King Charles X and eleventh in line for the throne. His mother was in Rochefort to meet with Sir Fredrick in order to trade hand sewn lace from her district for some of the wheat shipment.

Maria Antoinette Bourbon was from a small poor district near Orleans. She had very little land. Most of her land had been dispersed during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. She had received some compensation fourteen years earlier from Charles X. She had inherited the estate from her father one year earlier and had almost lost it with the Anti-Sacrilege Act, but thankfully it had failed.

She thought her troubles were over, when she married a rich bourgeoisie, who married her for her title. Tragically, he died of influenza six months following Jean-Claude's birth. Now, food riots were breaking out all over her district and she needed to get her people food and work.

Her first priority was food. If she could somehow, trade for enough food, she could somehow convince the rich Englishman to build some factory or something in her district. She was not a very good at business. Her brothers had been the ones to get the training in finance and administration, but all had died in the Hundred Days. She and her son were the last of her line and she was anxious for his future.

At twenty-eight, she was considered too old to be a good match for anyone other than someone looking for a title. She had had one such husband and was not looking for another. Though, almost thirty, she was a handsome woman. She was no youthful beauty, but the woman had lush curves and a cultured and refined elegance that made her desirable as a bedmate.

Her deep amber eyes and lush blond curls were rare in her circles. However, she was husbandless with a child and a poor barony. Her husband had left most of his money in trust to his son, who would inherit on his twenty-first birthday. Eighteen years was a long time with food riots everywhere.

The Baroness had been approached by many moneylenders, eager to have a lien on the boy's trust, but she refused. She would not put his inheritance at risk for such men. No, she needed this man to help her save what little she had left.

For his part, Sir Isles was most grateful to the Baroness for coming to the party. Every other personage with a child he had invited had snubbed him. There were various reasons given, but the truth was he had bought his knighthood. He was English. And most of all, he was richer than them.

The former sea captain was under no illusions as to why she honored his Maura. She needed his help, but the social significance of Bourbon at the child's party could not be overlooked. The trade she offered was minor and could do much better with many others, but she offered more than money. She offered acceptance for his Maura and that was much more important.

Sir Fredrick, also knew of her small barony's plight. There was no real industry or natural resource there. The lace she had procured was hand sewn by every woman the young baroness could muster in the district. But it was not a real source that could be relied upon for a constant output.

However, her small district had one renewable resource. Her small barony grew sugar beets. These beets were being wasted to fatten cattle. She had used much of her restitution from Charles X on buying cattle. Her idea had been to supply beef, which was always in short supply. However, she did not have enough land to raise cattle. So she used her district's sugar beet crop as cattle fodder.

The Englishman had a better use for sugar beets. He would make rum. He would build a distillery and make high quality rum. The Baroness could even purchase the sugar beet crops of others to make more rum. He would finance the distillery in exchange for exclusive rights to her rum for ten years at 20% below market price. It was a fair deal all the way around.

Patrick Doyle had been surprised by his invitation to his daughter's party. Sir Fredrick must have been very interested in his progress, if he were being invited to such an event. It was not until he got to the party that he found out the invitation came from Constance.

The young mother met him at the door and escorted him into a private room, where she said, "Mr. Doyle, I know you are Maura's father. I would not deprive a father of seeing his daughter on her first birthday. I will give her up, but I am not heartless. If you would like I will allow you five minutes with her. Then, you may enjoy the party like the rest of the guests."

The harder smuggler was moved by an unfamiliar act of kindness. So much so, that he ventured to provide some information, "I am going to tell you a secret. I want nothing to do with the raising of Maura. My business is such that she would be in grave danger if certain parties were to know she were my daughter. No, you raise her and love her and you will have no arguments from me.

But you should know, I will be seeing her mother soon. It is purely business, but I do know she wants her daughter. She doesn't know where her daughter is and I won't be the one atellin her. I just thought you should know, so youse can be prepared."

Constance bowed her head and replied, "Thank you, if you would like to see her. Follow me."

Doyle followed the Lady into the courtyard where the carousel was in full operation and the circus was getting ready to perform. The graceful young woman glided toward the carousel, where a blonde toddler was shrieking at the top of her lungs as the carousel circled round and round.

The lady of the house signaled the houseman to stop the ride for a moment. Maura said, "Go, Go."

But Constance picked up her child, which seemed to placate the young toddler. With bright hazel eyes the child shouted excitedly, "Mama, you see me?"

The young mother smiled and replied, "Yes, I saw you. You know you are going to have to stop and watch the circus."

The child jumped in her mother's arms and cried, "I watch clowns and ele..ele."

Doyle helped, "Elephants?"

The young toddler laughed, "Yes."

Doyle leaned over to the child's ear and whispered, "I love to watch elephants, too. Can I watch?"

She giggled, "Yes."

Doyle could feel Lady Constance's discomfort, so he pulled out an envelope and told the bright and energetic child, "I don't have a carousel, but I have a present for you. In this envelope is a bond for 1000 English Pounds. This is so you will never have to depend on anybody but you."

He handed the envelope to the young mother. She told Maura, "Say thank you for the lovely present."

The child suddenly shy hid behind her mother's sleeve and said, "Tank you."

He asked his daughter, "Can I go see the circus, now?"

She smiled, "Yes!"

Gina was still in bed five weeks later. She was regaining her strength from her bout with spring fever. For the first week her fever got worse. At which point another doctor had been called. He was younger and less schooled with the past and more with the latest illnesses. He diagnosed typhoid fever.

The entire household moved to a hotel. Sir Fredrick secured the entire top floor of the hotel for his family and staff, while Gina convalesced at the villa. Nurses were hired to attend the nanny, who had become such an intricate part of the Isles household. Gina's children stayed with the Isles.

The girls asked every night about their mother. Every night, Constance would review her time visiting the young nanny. For each day for at least one hour, Constance would sit by Gina and hold her hand. She had not forgotten her longings the night she bathed her.

Those longings scared Constance a bit. She had always preferred sex with women, but she had thought she had outgrown the longings. Now, this small woman, who looked so frail and helpless had stirred them.

Her fever peaked the second week. She was red and ranted constantly about things that only meant something to her. Gina would rave and rock, but Constance would just hold the woman in her arms and say soothing words.

During the third week, Gina developed sores on her abdomen and genital area. Constance was the only one brave enough to rub the affected areas with the cream. Even with the rash, the feel of this woman's skin was devastating to the inexperienced mother.

On the fourth week, the fever broke. Gina regained coherency, while demanding some food. She lived on nothing but clear broth for another three days. Each meal was spooned by Constance with Gina arguing with her mistress that this was beneath the lady of the house.

While, Constance was spooning the young nanny chicken broth, three young girls came howling into the sick room. Gina was still weak from her ordeal, but her face alit with joy as she saw her children and young charge for the first time in a month.

The young mistress cautioned the children about being gentle with the sick woman, as she was still recovering. But Gina held out her arms and her two girls ran into them. Maura looked to her mother for further instructions. Constance could only smile, "Go ahead."

A smile jumped on the tiny blonde's face as she charged into the giant hug. The three girls were starting to get overly excited, so Constance intervened and forced them off the bed and had maids move them to the courtyard. Then she continued to feed the patient.

Gina was starting to feel better, but didn't know how to approach her mistress about all the special treatment. Gina had vague memories of when she first was taken ill. She had not been unconscious, just very weak. The petite nanny had felt the intimate touching her mistress had done to her. And now all the attention had the young woman confused.

She knew there were women who loved other woman. Many of the noble ladies had dalliances with their maids, but the brunette had no experience with other woman. However, her husband had been in prison for over a year and she was still a healthy young woman with typical urges.

Though in a bit of a fog, the feel of her mistress's hands on her skin had excited her. Now, with the lovely brunette sitting on her bed spooning some soup into her mouth, the young nanny was feeling stirrings of passion. What was she to do? How should she proceed? Did she really want the attention?

Yes, she decided she wanted the attention. She was a married woman and a man would be too much of a complication. Her mistress also needed discretion to protect her position. Yes, she needed this. She needed the feel of another human being, whether it is a man or a woman. And a man would be an unnecessary complication.

With her decision made, she still didn't know how to approach the beautiful woman. What if she had imagined everything in her fevered state? What if nothing had happened and she had just had some sort of fevered dream? All the young woman knew was that she had to know. That soft touch had awakened a passion in her that she had never felt before.

So, as another spoon of soup was offered to Gina, she asked, "Pourquoi prenez-vous un tel bon soin de moi, la madame ? Sûrement, un domestique pourrait le faire. Je suis un peu plus qu'un domestique. C'est au-dessous de vous." _Why are you taking such good care of me, madam? Surely, a servant could do it. I am little more than a servant. This is beneath you._

Constance thought for a long moment before she answered. Then she replied, "Vous êtes plus qu'un pur domestique. Vous avez la nourriture et avez soigné ma fille. C'est une obligation qui est plus serrée que chacun je peux imaginer. Je regrette que je ne puisse pas l'avoir nourrie de mes propres seins, mais Dieu a et m'accorder sans doute jamais l'honneur de maternité. Ainsi quand vous vous êtes vexés, mes instincts maternants émergent. Je ne peux pas l'expliquer mieux. Autre que dire, vous me voulez dire plus qu'un domestique. J'ai grandi pour vous aimer ... comme une soeur, je veux dire." _You are more than a mere servant. You have feed and cared for my daughter. That is a bond that is tighter than any I can imagine. I wish I could have fed her from my own breasts, but God has and probably never grant me the honor of motherhood. So, when you took ill, my mothering instincts emerge. I cannot explain it better. Other than to say, you mean more to me than a servant. I have grown to love you...like a sister, I mean._

With her final words, a blush of embarrassment shone brightly upon the Lady's face. Gina took the final words as an opening, "Pourriez-vous m'aimer plus qu'une soeur ? Je n'étais pas complètement avec mes facultés sur cette première nuit. Je pourrais sentir votre désir et je veux juste que vous sachiez que si ce désir existe, je veux l'explorer complètement et entièrement." _Could you love me more than a sister? I was not totally with my faculties on that first night. I could feel your desire and I just want you to know that if that desire exists, I want to explore it completely and wholly._

Delicate hands placed the bowl of soup and spoon on the night stand and reached for the recovering woman. Her hands cupped the resting woman's face and looked deeply into the nanny's eyes. She saw desire. She saw passion. She saw lust. So, the young mistress let her wall down and kissed the resting mother passionately. Gina slid her tongue into Constance's waiting mouth. Constance cradled the tongue with her own and search frantically for the bronze toned breast she had caressed weeks earlier.

Quickly, Gina broke the embrace and said quietly, desperately, and impassionedly whispered, "Lock the door."

Constance in alarm looked about the room. She couldn't let her passion be known. She had her position and that of her husband to protect. A dalliance can be overlooked, if it is discrete and deniable. Constance did not know that this was more than a dalliance. Constance did not know when she locked that door, it was opening another. A door that would remain firmly open for the rest of their lives.

Patrick Doyle was a nervous man. He had never gotten over Hope Martine. She is the only woman he had ever loved. It had been over a year since he had last seen her, but he could still smell her, taste her, feel her and envision her. When he had dreams, it was of Hope. When he had nightmares, it was of losing her.

Hope Martine was seventeen, but not like most seventeen year old ladies. Her lovely blue-green eyes were no longer innocent, no longer clear. Her eyes were now perpetually sad. She had lost so much. She had lost her love, her child and the life she wanted more than anything. What made it so hard was that her beloved father had been the instrument of that loss.

She went from adorning her father to despising him in one moment. A moment can last forever in your mind. That is a truth that someone of her tender years and disposition should not be forced to learn. She relives that moment every day. She often holds her stomach, mourning the death of her baby. What makes it so much harder is the doctors, who tell her that she can never have another child.

A seventeen year old girl should not be barren. A seventeen year old girl should not be burden with a future without hope. Even her name mocks her.

The steel in her bows a little, as the youth drops to her settee and cries. She is still crying when she looks up and sees a mirage. A ghost from the past is just standing there watching her sorrow. The distraught woman sobs, "Pourquoi me hantez-vous ? Je n'ai pas souffert assez ?" _Why do you haunt me? Have I not suffered enough?_

Patrick Michael Doyle, smuggler, Irish gang leader and one of the most ruthless men in France, rushed to the sobbing girl and embraced her with a passion that absorbed them both. In that moment, they merged, they blended. This moment must never be lost was the only thought that came into her head. This is the moment to relive each day.

She girl could only sob, "Vous êtes réels. Vous n'êtes pas un mirage. Vous n'êtes pas un fantôme qui est venu pour me hanter et torturer." _You're real. You're not a mirage. You're not some phantom that has come to haunt and torture me._

She burrowed further into his embrace to reassure herself that he was real. He was not a phantom. He was holding her. She was not alone. Then she became aware of the situation and said, "Mon amour, vous ne pouvez pas être ici. Le père aura une rage. Il assaillira chacun je sais, juste se venger." _My love, you cannot be here. Father will have a rage. He will assault everyone I know, just to avenge himself._

Doyle laughed as he replied, "Vengez-se ? Ce qui lui avait mal été fait. Ce qui a été pris de lui qu'il a besoin de se venger. Nous sommes ceux qui souffrent pour sa vengeance pour rien d'autre qu'une vanité contusionnée." _Avenge himself? What wrong had been done to him. What has been taken from him that he need avenge himself. We are the ones who suffer for his vengeance for nothing more than a slighted vanity._

He pulled back slightly and looked into her frightened eyes and cursed what he saw there. He cupped her face into both his hands and promised, "Je ne vous verrai pas ne souffrir plus. Ce n'est pas comment j'ai voulu que ce soit arrivé. J'ai représenté ce moment dans mon coeur et rêves plusieurs fois, mais ce n'est pas la façon que je l'ai représentée. Le plus cher, je suis venu pour deux buts. Mon premier devait trouver et vous protéger. Ma seconde devait vous prendre de cette situation dans laquelle vous vous êtes reçus." _I will not see you suffer anymore. This is not how I wanted this to happen. I have pictured this moment in my heart and dreams many times, but this is not the way I pictured it. Dearest, I came for two purposes. My first was to find and protect you. My second was to take you from this situation you have gotten yourself into._

At that moment caution gripped Hope, her walls started to reform. She became the Rose in that moment. This moment was not one to cherish. "Patrick, de que me protégeriez-vous et quelle situation autre que mon emprisonnement par mon père seriez-vous la référence ?" _Patrick, from what would you protect me and what situation other than my imprisonment by my father would you be referring?_

Trapped by his own passions, the dark smuggler had to take over, "Je sais que vous êtes le fait de Monter et que vous travaillez pour mettre Louis-Napoleon sur le trône. Je sais que vous le faites pour faire mal à votre père et ceux qui vous ont fait mal. Je sais aussi que vous n'avez aucune idée avec qui vous êtes en activité. Cela peut seulement mettre fin dans la tragédie pour vous. Je peux arrêter cette tragédie du fait de se produire. Mais vous devez vous fier en moi." _I know you are the Rose and that you are working to put Louis-Napoleon on the throne. I know you are doing this to hurt your father and those who have hurt you. I also know you have no idea with whom you are dealing. This can only end in tragedy for you. I can stop that tragedy from occurring. But you have to trust me._

She wept, "Pourquoi devrais-je me fier en vous ? Vous m'avez quitté ici pour pourrir depuis plus d'une année. Je suis mort en deuil pour notre enfant chaque jour et chaque nuit. Je n'ai eu aucun confort, aucun mot de consolation tendre." _Why should I trust you? You have left me here to rot for over a year. I have died in mourning for our child every day and every night. I have had no comfort, no words of tender consolation. _

He replied firmly, "Vous pouvez vous fier en mon amour pour vous. Et vous pouvez espérer que je sais plus de ceux avec qui vous êtes impliqués." _You can trust my love for you. And you can trust I know more about those with whom you are involved._

Her worst fears had been confirmed. For the last three months, she had seen things that made her wonder as to the ultimate goals of those she helped. They had even approached her about stealing from her father and his friends. She couldn't do that. So, Hope came back to herself and crawled into her lover's arms and said, "August…It a planifié pour l'août en utilisant des mercenaries" August…It's planned for August using mercenaries."

The man softened and asked as he stoked her hair, "Savez-vous où ?" _Do you know where?_

She smiled into his eyes and replied, "Boulogne."

With that finished the two lovers renewed their affair.

Jacque Martine was readying for dinner when the man appeared from the terrace of his twenty-four room manor. His room was on the far west wing on the fifth floor. The estate was surrounded by a ten foot brick wall with iron grating all around. Twenty men patrolled the grounds at all times. So, the man's entrance was quite unexpected.

The elder Martine started to call for his manservant, when the intruder produced a small caliber pill box. The gun had six barrels and with such a weapon, there could one round fired or all six at once. The man said in a nonchalant voice, "Ne dérangez pas tous vos gens sont tout à fait occupés. Vos gardes sont fermées dans votre cave de vin et vos domestiques sont dans la salle à manger principale. La plupart d'entre eux sont vivants. Je crois deux des gardes opposées et ai été tué. J'en suis désolé, mais c'est un hasard commercial." _Don't bother all your people are quite busy._ _Your guards are locked in your wine cellar and your servants are in the main dining room. Most of them are alive. I believe two of the guards resisted and were killed. I'm sorry about that, but it is a trade hazard_.

The French merchant was shakened. He never imagined anyone could get to him in his own home. He was going to fire every guard. But he had to show strength, so he asked, "Que voulez-vous ?" _What do you want?_

The intruder smiled and placed a piece of parchment on his bureau and said casually, "Juste votre signature et sceau sur ce document." _Just your signature and seal on this document_.

The elderly man read the document, than put it down forcefully and exclaimed, "Absolument non." _Absolutely not_.

The man smiled and suddenly a knife was protruding from Martine's thigh. The stranger merely said, "C'est celui. J'ai encore onze pour aller." _That's one. I have eleven more to go._

The pain was excruciating, but the old man was proud and it took five knives before he signed and sealed the document. The stranger called for the doctor hr had accompanying him on this assignment. Then he was gone as quickly and quietly as he appeared.

The old man fainted from the loss of blood and pain. The doctor just managed to save his life.

Ten miles away in a small chapel, a loving couple awaited the document. When it arrived the man handed it to the priest, who examined it for a moment. The priest really didn't look at it closely. He was more aware of the ten harden men accompanying the couple.

Within the hour and with due ceremony, Patrick Doyle and Hope Martine were married.

Patrick Doyle sat across the desk of Fredrick Isles, freshly married and with all the information that Sir Fredrick needed. True to word, Sir Fredrick Isles passed the smuggler a document signed by Queen Victoria. Doyle examined it and smiled. It was a pardon for him and his men. Sir Fredrick offered, "I'm leaving in two days. You and your men are welcome to accompany us. I will of course have you routed to whatever port you choose."

Doyle offered his hand. He admired a man of his word and Captain Isles was such a man. The Englishman took the Irishman's hand and replied, " We will be ready. I and my bride would like to stay in Swansea for a while."

Sir Fredrick smiled, "Excellent, you can stay on my estate until you find your own home."

It was perfect. Doyle had hoped for the invitation so he could watch his Maura environment. Four weeks later, Doyle was looking for a home in Swansea.

Sir Fredrick was summoned to London to visit the Queen. So, he packed up his family and went to their manor in Notting Hill. He even invited the Doyles, who were more than happy to go and see London. Unlike their first visit, Sir Fredrick was immediately given an audience with the Queen. Actually, he was given two.

The first was a private audience away from the public eye. The Viscount Melbourne, the Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, Home Secretary, Lord Palmerton, the Foreign Secretary and the Duke of Wellington were in attendance. This audience took four hours. Each minister had several questions. Several times during the interview, various generals and admirals would be called to clarify various information. The information was in abundance. Sir Fredrick, not only had Doyle's information, but all the information he collected from various sources, while he was 'doing business'.

Patrick Doyle was called in to give testimony and give first-hand the intelligence, he had gathered. At the end of the interview, the Queen personally thanked the smuggler and granted him a piece of land in County Cork. Doyle was more than pleased.

The Queen personally thanked the sea captain and announced a second more formal audience in two weeks, where Sir Fredrick Isles would be given a barony near Swansea. He would be Lord Isles. Finally, she commanded he continue his 'business enterprises' in France. He had informed the Queen of his various branches, he had opened with very clever people in charge.

The day of the Ceremony was spectacular. His family beamed with pride. Even nineteen month old Maura was excited. She did not understand much of what was going on, but she loved the attention she was getting from the people in attendance.

On October 16, 1840, Sir Fredrick Isles became Lord Isles of Neath. Lady Constance beamed with pride. Though when she looked at Gina holding her daughter, a twinge of remorse overtook her. She was totally in love with the lovely nanny, but could only do so in secret and very privately. Now, her position was even more visible, but the young brunette could do loss this love. She had sacrificed one, two years earlier, she would not do so again.


	3. Chapter 3

_**This chapter is far from complete, but I see I have a few followers. So, I wanted to get some more of the story out there. My chapters are not short so it will take me a couple of days to finish each chapter. But here is the first part of chapter 3. It starts with Jane at age seven.**_

This chapter has some violence and a rather nasty rape. I'm sorry but it is necessary to my storyline. By the way, I apologize to those who have found my first two chapters to be too involved with unnecessary facts. I apologize because I will not change a word of that. I wanted a plausible history for my characters and I hate stories that assume you know your character's history. I'm a retired teacher, so I guess I can't stop teaching.

Chapter 3: The Making of Iron Women

Jane was seven years old when she heard her parents arguing. Her papa was trying to be even tempered, "È il momento. Angela, e lei lo sa. Essa deve imparare a diventare un cowboy. Non abbiamo nessun altro. SO che aspettarsi di avere più figli, ma ora come ora, è la nostra unica figlia. Ha da imparare." It's time. Angela, you know it is. She has to learn to become a rancher. _We have no one else. I know you expet to have more children, but right now, she is our only child. She has to learn_.

She heard her mother reply more forcefully, "Ma, Francesco, ha solo cinque. È ancora un bambino. Perché vuoi rush. SO CHE hanno concordato di dare la sua maggiore responsabilità. Ma ho inteso come alimentare i polli o avendo cura di nuovo cucciolo." _But, Francesco, she is only five. She's still a baby. Why do you want to rush her. I know I agreed to give her more responsibility. But I meant like feeding the chickens or taking care of the new puppies_.

Big Frank countered, "Momma, alimentando un pochi polli non eseguirà un ranch. Ha per imparare a cavalcare, funi e disputare. Lei deve imparare come mangimi per il bestiame e come vengono allevati dei cavalli. Ha da imparare e ci vorranno anni. Quindi, inizia ora." _Momma, feeding a few chickens will not run a ranch. She has to learn to ride, rope and wrangle. She must learn how cattle feed and how horses are raised. She has to learn and it will take years. So, it has to start now._

Jane could contain herself no longer, she burst in on the argument and said, "Momma, I can do it. I can do anything any boy could do. I know I can."

Angela stooped down to get to eye level with her little girl and reasoned, "I know you can, Baby, but you are not a boy. You are a young girl. You may never be strong enough to do what a man does."

Francesco started to intervene, but Angela raised her hand to counter it. But Jane didn't need any help. She reassured her mother, "Momma, I am already taller than any boy around. I know I can do this. I know I can take care of a colt."

Her mother sighed. She could not beat both her husband and her daughter. As far as she knew no one had ever been able to prevent her daughter from doing something she put her mind to. Angela recalled when her daughter was barely two, she had wanted a cookie. And so Angela to prevent her from getting one, put the cookie jar on a top cabinet in the kitchen.

Jane was not to be deterred. Using furniture and containers from the kitchen, the young brunette constructed a sort of staircase to the cookies. Her mother caught her before she started on her second cookie. Jane was put to bed without supper, but she did have a cookie.

Angela knew she was defeated and agreed to let her daughter have the next colt born to the ranch. However, there had to be a clear understanding that Jane, not one of the seasoned hands. Jane had to raise and take care of the colt for the rest of its life.

In early September of 1843, Jane was given charge of a new born colt. The colt was a mare with a generally grey coat with white and black patches about its rump and hind legs. She named her colt, Grey.

For a year, Jane had full care of the colt. After the mare was weaned, Jane would feed her hay and oats every day. She made sure she had plenty of water and would currycomb her coat to a shine.

But the colt was only one of many lessons that Korsak would give her in that year. The mustanger would take the youngster away from the ranch houses into the wild. He showed her plants and told her of their properties, which ones were food and which were poison. Korsak showed her how to read trial and how to feel the world around her. He would say, "Thar ain't much out here that caint keel ya. But iffin ya hear wit more than your ears, ya gotta chance,"

Jane was shown had to clean watering holes, so the cattle could get good drinking water. She cut hay and baled it. She worked with the rope twice every day. Until by the end of the year, the young girl could rope a moving rabbit with her leather lariat.

After being shown how to braid a reata, she quickly made several of the leather ropes. On her eighth birthday, she was given a Warren and Steele rifle of .36 caliber. Jane was drilled on how to load the barrel, but wasn't given any of the percussion caps necessary to fire the rifle.

After a month of practice, loading and cleaning the rifle, she was taught how to shoot. The young girl was given two of the precious caps a day to practice. Korsak or her father would go with her into the brush and select a target. At first the targets were tree, then they were reduced to knot holes. It took three weeks of practice before the recoil of the rifle didn't pain her shoulder.

When Korsak was satisfied she could shoot he took the girl hunting. For the same outfit, hunting was still necessary to their survival. Jane's first target was a roe buck deer. Jane eased back the hammer and took aim at the grazing deer. Suddenly, a slight gust of wind rowed over Jane's back toward the deer. She knew she had only moments before her scent scared the deer into action. So, she shot more quickly than she planned.

Her bullet didn't hit the deer's heart, but shattered its right foreleg. The deer went down unable to run, but was screaming in agony. Korsak shook his head and signal the frightened child to the spot where the deer was writhing in pain. The mustanger quickly slit the deer's throat, ending its agony. He made her watch as he dress the carcass. He removed everything, even the bone was necessary to their existence.

The experienced hunter simply said, "Janie, y'all gotta hit the heart. A wounded deer can run fer miles, in agony with every step. God's creatures dee-serve a clean keel. Next time y'all do the butchery."

Jane never missed again.

In October of 1844 with the wind blowing and the temperature dropping, Janie and Korsak starting preparing Grey for the saddle. The year she spent befriending the colt paid off in trust. Grey trusted Jane and didn't mind the blanket she tied around her every day for a week. Then the bridal and bit were uncomfortable, but Jane wouldn't let anything hurt her. And her reassuring words and cubes of sugar made everything all right. So, when the saddle weight was placed on his back another week later, she didn't even fuss. After all, there was Jane with cooing words and cubes of sugar. Then after another week and after the blanket, bridal, bit and saddle were placed on her, she didn't fuss, because she was used to it.

Jane approached her horse, Korsak assured her all she had to do was show Grey that she was still her friend. So Jane cooed to her mare, "Easy, girl, ain't nobody agoin' ta hirt ya. I's just agoin' to get in that thar saddle fer a bit. Easy, now."

Jane carefully put her left foot in the stirrup and cooed, "I don't weigh much, girl. Y'all hardly even know I'm thar."

With that Jane pulled herself into the saddle and held the reins firmly. The young colt shied a bit by walking backwards a couple steps. But Jane, patted her on her flank and neighed fake horse talk. After, Grey seemed to settle down and accept her weight, Jane dismounted and petted her horse on her neck and fed her a cube of sugar.

Then taking the reins, she remounted her mare. This time Grey didn't even shy. Jane gave the young mare a tap on her flanks and Grey started trotting forward. She felt the bridal pull her to the left, so she went left. Then she felt the bridal pull her to the right, so she started going right. After a short trot, she felt bridal pull her chin down, so the yearling colt stopped.

Jane was beaming in front of the main house atop her new mount. Jane called to mother, while her father approached them from the barn. The eight year old dismounted her yearling colt and went to her mother and said, "See, I told ya maw, I could do it."

Angela grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly. No matter how hard she hugged her daughter, she could not keep her from growing up.

It was plain getting cold. The snow was spotty, but it only being October and snowing was a bad sign for an easy winter. They had both put on their heavy colts and had their buffalo collars raised against the wind,

They rode in silence, not wanting to waste energy with idle chit chat. Though never of them was known for their chit chat. In fact, Korsak had not spoken to anyone other than the people on the ranch for over a year. What made that easy was the fact he never went to town. He never left the ranch, except to hunt.

_**I'll have more tomorrow.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Birds of a Feather**

Lord Isles had just read the reports from France and they were not good. All through 1844 and into 1845, the government was cracking down on the general populace. Now, the word had come that Louis-Philippe was planning on outlawing all assemblies. The Queen was not going to like this news. With the government becoming harsher, the people were going to revolt and leave the door open for Louis-Napoleon.

The only hope to avoid another Napoleon was to find a compromise government. The Lord Isles was considering recommending to the Queen the leader of the moderates, Alphonse Marie Louis de Lamartine. The Queen wasn't going to like it; she hated parliaments. She was having enough problems with her own Parliament without having to deal with someone else's.

Taking a copy of the King James Bible from his desk, he coded a message to Patrick Doyle. Lord Fredrick needed more information on the current status of Louis-Napoleon and whether Lamartine could be cooped.

At that moment, a skipping young seven year honey blonde came into his office. She asked, "Father, can I have a moment of your time? I need to discuss something of the utmost urgency."

Lord Fredrick could never get over the vocabulary of his brilliant daughter. Not quite eight and she sounded like an adult. The ex-sea captain smiled at his little girl. He picked her up and placed her in his lap. She exclaimed, "Father, please, you shall muss my gown."

Her father laughed, "Maura, I'll buy you a new gown. Now, what is so urgent?"

The little girl tried to get down from the offending lap, but was forced to give up. She sighed and said, "Father, you are impossible. However, I do like your lap," as she gave a girlish giggle.

The young girl put on her serious face and said, "Father, I want to talk to you about an article I just read. Do you know that there is a new process to extract sugar from cane that will increase the yield per ton by 15 to 18%. A man from Yorkshire has perfected the process. I have made an inquiry and have found that he is having financial troubles and is willing to sell the process for Ᵽ350. I think we could get the process for Ᵽ275."

Her father had heard about this process. He had sent out inquiries about it just this morning. He had to ask, "How do you know he is in financial trouble and willing to sell the process?"

The young blonde rolled her eyes and sighed with exasperation, "Father, after I read about the process, I sent an inquiry to the Bank of England. Mr. Morgan, our representative in the Bank, informed me that Mr. Marshal, the man from Yorkshire, had mortgage his farm to buy sugar cane from Haiti. I then contacted our agent in London to find out how the sugar was being shipped. I was informed that the shipment was contract to one of our ships and was arriving in Dover tomorrow. I then sent a message to our agent in Dover to tell the Captain to quarantine the shipment for fourteen days, because it was suspected of being contaminated with sugar beetles. Mr. Marshal had a payment due in seven days and cannot meet the payment without that sugar. Mr. Marshal has been questioned by our agent in Yorkshire as to a price for the process. He said he wanted Ᵽ350. However, Ᵽ248 will pay his debt completely. I assumed he would want to make at least a 10% profit round to the next quarter hundred. Hence, Ᵽ275."

The astonished Lord sat back in his chair, tilted back his head and roared with laughter. His daughter was shaken by his behavior. She thought he was laughing at her and a tear rolled down her cheek. The man stopped laughing and hugged his child, asking, "Why are you crying, Child? I couldn't be more proud of you."

The young girl sobbed, "I thought you were laughing at me, Daddy. Did I do something wrong?"

A huge smile broke out on his face as he replied, "No, heavens no, dear one. You did everything right. I don't know if I would have thought of the quarantine. Whose negotiating the deal?"

Maura smiled, "Henry Hudson, out of Yorkshire, he is a lawyer with our firm there. He has instruction to not go over 275. I would have gone more, but that is all the capital I had available."

The tall man rose from his chair carrying his daughter with him, as he questioned, "I don't understand. We have millions."

The young blonde responded shyly, "But, Daddy, I wanted to do this on my own. I wanted to show you that you could depend on me to do what is best for our company."

The Lord lifted the squealing child in the air and spun her around. He exclaimed, "Sweetling, you have shown me that I can rely on you and that you are very resourceful."

There talk was interrupted by a message for Maura. It was from Hudson. She clapped and told her father, "Daddy, he sold the process for Ᵽ260. The papers have been drawn as we speak. The process will be in our hands by noon tomorrow."

Her father gently placed her on her feet and smoothed out her gown and asked, "Maura, I would like for you to implement the new process and determine when and where the improvements will occur."

The child lit up and said, "Oh, Father, I have such a plan already designed. It only needs to be implemented. Do you wish for me to turn over the design to someone in particular?"

With a look of grave sincerity the Lord proclaimed, "You miss understand me, Maura. I want you to oversee the project personally. I want you to implement your design and I want a written report upon its completion. I am giving you a big responsibility, an adult responsibility. An increase in sugar yield would mean more rum and profits. I want to see an increased yield of 8% by the end of the year. Is that possible?"

"Father, I will have twice that by the end of November," she answered as she swished her gown and regally stroll from the room. Maura had gotten everything she had wanted from her father. The man was so easily swayed.

***SE***

Constance Isles was furious. The young mother had just heard what her daughter had done to Jonathan Marshall, the farmer from Yorkshire. The statuesque brunette stormed into her daughter's quarters to confront her. She fussed, "Maura, you promised me that you would do no harm. Yet, I hear you drove a man from Yorkshire out of business in order to steal his process for increasing sugar production. Why did you do it?"

Maura never looked up from the papers that covered her desk as she answered the accusations, "Mother, I did the man a service. Three of our competitors had already looked into the man's financials. Father had already contacted our bankers in order to ascertain the man's credit. Any of those would have driven the man in bankruptcy. Whereby, he would have lost his farm and ended up in Newgate.

I offered the man several options before I took action. I offered to buy his process. I offered a partnership. I then offered his both a secured loan and an unsecured loan. He turned them all down. I knew he was destroying himself. So I took the only action I could for him to save his farm and make a modest profit.

Had I left it to father, do you think the man would have fared as well?"

The woman looked at her seven year old daughter in astonishment. How could so young a child see all the possible variables in such a situation and then act upon them? The woman looked at her young child with new eyes and said, "I'm sorry I doubted you darling. You have always been a most generous child. I should have realized your motives could only have been for the good. I will never doubt you again."

With that said Lady Constance left the room and would keep her promise for seven years, when she doubted her daughter's motives again.

After her mother left, the seven year old genius went to work on an outline on how to implement the process in all their sugar mills throughout England and the Americas. The honey blonde with girlish curls and dimples penned a letter to the mill managers in Haiti, Cuba, Louisiana and Texas outlining in detail how to implement the process and a time table to do the work.

***SE***

Then the young girl sent messages to her four sugar mill managers in England to come to Swansea within four days. By which time, she would have detailed a plan and time table to proceed, which she could then relay to the mill managers.

Four days later, Lady Maura then went to the bank and withdrew Ᵽ400 for expenses. On her way home, she stopped at a small dress shop. The fashion conscious girl examined every dress before selecting two ball gowns and two evening dresses. While in the store, Hugh spotted a tail. He knelt beside his charge and asked, "We are being followed by one man."

The very young lady asked, "Am I in danger, Hugh?"

The large man smiled and as he left the shop he said, "No milady. I'll take care of it."

Five minutes later, the big man had returned. With her man back, the honey haired blonde entered her carriage and told her driver to take her to their offices in Swansea.

Two blocks away a man with several broken fingers was found strangled by a garrote.

Young Maura Isles had taken charge of the meeting of mill managers. With the large man behind her, she didn't look to be an innocent young girl. She told them that a new process was being implemented and gave them the specifications. No one questioned whether the process was going to be implemented, but questions on the logistics and the methods for determining progress.

Following the meeting the young heiress entered her carriage with Henry Hudson and Hugh, her bodyguard, who was now her personal assistant. The young blonde ordered, "Driver take us to Mr. Hudson's residence."

Henry Hudson had only been working with the seven year old child for about a week and he was already a convert. This child knew more about business than anyone he had ever met. At seven, she was a force to be feared. The young blonde had a natural instinct for exploiting science and technology for profit. All she needed to learn was how to handle people.

Lady Maura made eye contact with her assistant and said, "I want you to contact Mr. Marshall and hire him to run all our sugar mills. Buy his farm, if you have to. I want him working for me full time. The man is brilliant when it comes to manufacturing sugar.

Additionally, I want to fire Daniel Cousins, the man's already making excuses. He'll never get it done. He will have one excuse after another, trying to shift blame on everyone but himself. Give him three, no six months of salary in lieu of notice. I want everyone working to succeed, not looking to shift blame from themselves.

Henry nodded and suggested, "Lady Isles, might I suggest you promote Mr. Cousins' assistant, Ethan Sanderson. He has worked for the company for six years and is young, bright and eager. He will want to show what he can do."

The young heiress considered the possibilities, running probabilities and scenarios through her mind. Maura was not as familiar with the personnel as she should be. She would have to remedy that and said, "I want to interview him and two other assistant managers day after tomorrow at the offices in Swansea. After the interviews, I will make a decision."

The carriage stop in front of young Hudson's residence and as he left his boss said, "If the conversion is completed by the second week of October, I will give you a bonus of Ᵽ100."

The young lawyer's eyes exploded with energy and he said, "Thank you, milady. It will be done on time and within budget."

The smart business woman exclaimed, "Hang the budget. I do not care one half penny about the budget. I just want it done on schedule to impress my father."

With that the carriage left to take the young child home. Hugh watched his young charge as she was deep in thought. He marveled at the girl. At seven, she was terrifying to see in action. This girl would surpass her father, if she doesn't get caught up with some no account for a husband.

***SE***

After the faithful bodyguard left his charge in room to retire for the night, Hugh reported the incident at the dress shop to Lord Fredrick. He told his lordship that the man had told him before he died that he was in the employ of a man named Martine. The thug had been paid to shadow the girl, find a weakness in her security and to kidnap her.

Lord Isles was furious as he searched his memory, 'Who the hell was Martine? He knew no Martine. Could he be a Republican or worse one of Louis-Napoleon's men? He sent a coded message to Doyle asking for information on a man named Martine. He didn't tell his man why. Had he done so, what happened a few years later would not have occurred.

***SE***

After speaking with Kiowa, Jane agreed to hunt sixty buffalo for them in exchange for three nuggets of gold per buffalo. The tall hunter would only shot the buffalo, they would have to dress the animals. Korsak hated the idea of the young girl going into that camp alone.

Jane laughed, "What's the matter old man, you getting skeered in your old age?"

Korsak answered seriously, "Janie girl, I don't like it. You can't trust everyone to keep their word. Red Blanket doesn't like the idea any better than I do."

Jane held the older man's hand and looked him in the eye, "I have it to do."

Korsak knew that saying, he had heard it a hundred times from the girl's father. Once it was said then it had to be done. That was the Rizzoli way. He had one final compromise, "In three days, I'm going to be taking Red Blanket to his people. I will send two of your hunters to the Kiowa camp to help you. You have to get the Kiowa to let them come."

Jane agreed. The tall brunette didn't think they would get there in time anyway. By her plan, she would be leaving the Kiowa camp in four days.

***SE***

Four days later, the young hunter was riding Grey toward the Comanche village. Her two hunting companions intercepted her on the second day after leaving the Kiowa. When they got to the village two days later, Korsak was bundling the last of the buffalo hides.

He smiled as he saw his charge riding proudly into the Comanche village unharmed. He shouted, "Well, how'd you do?"

The young girl took a pouch from her saddle bag and tossed it to the man. The leather sack was quite heavy. He opened the pouch and found it filled with gold nuggets. The smiling girl stated, "There are sixty nuggets in that pouch and I have three others just like it. I figger there's about a hundred ounces in that pouch alone. That's about 300 ounces of gold."

The older man was impressed and said proudly, "You did good child. Your pa will be proud of you."

The youngster continued, "This trip gave me an idea. I think we need to open a trading post on our land that borders the Comanche and Kiowa lands. I figger we can trade with both sides. We can go to Dallas and get trade goods, cloth, needles, thread, beads, knives and other doodads."

Korsak thought on the idea for a full minute before he commented, "It's a great idea, but having Comanche and Kiowa in the same place at the same time is asking for trouble."

The young Italian girl was not dissuaded as she responded, "I will get a treaty from both the Comanche and the Kiowa agreeing that the trading post to be neutral territory. They will agree that there will be no fighting will in the trading post. Now, what they do away from the trading post is their affair."

Korsak asked kindly, "Janie, do you think you can get such a treaty from them."

At this the pretty brunette smirked, "I already got a signed treaty from the Kiowa," she removed a piece of deer hide from her saddle bag and gave it to the old mustanger.

Korsak opened the deer skin and written in Spanish using charcoal was a treaty agreeing to the trading post being neutral territory. It was signed by their chief. Korsak rolled up the skin and gave it back to the wily youngster and offered, "I'll help you convince Red Blanket. Hell, he owes you big for saving his hide back yonder."

The two hunters then walked over to Red Blanket wickiup to get his signature.

***SE***

With a signed treaty, Jane proceeded to the next step. While walking back to the waiting bales of hides, the tall huntress stated, "Now, we are going to Dallas and get the trade goods we need. I'll sell the hides and gold we have and buy everything we need. I figger to get two freight wagon and teams to pull them and everything doodad and knickknack I can buy or trade for. Then you and I are going to build a cabin right on the border of our land and the Indians."

The steady cowboy asked, "Janie, do you know how much work you talking about? Not to mention the fact we are already overdue getting home. Your father is going to send our men hunting us soon."

Jane shook her head and replied, "I've ready sent Two Horns with a message to my father telling him we're fine and will be delay about a month. I didn't say why, I want that to be a surprise."

Korsak laughed so hard it was hard for him to talk as he surmised, "Yeah, he'll be surprised all right. I guess there's no dissuading you. You're a Rizzoli and when you dig in, it's impossible to dig you out."

The young Italian just smiled and started loading bales of hides onto the mules.

***SE***

The pair was approaching Dallas leading ten mules loaded with buffalo hides and other pelts they had acquired from the Comanche in trade. It turned out that Jane was a natural at trading. The soon to be ten year old won almost every trade by the mustanger's tally.

About three miles out from Dallas, two men were blocking the road with a wagon. They each had a rifle in hand. Jane slyly eased her Colt from her belt. With her peripheral vision she saw Korsak line up his rifle on the two men.

The bold youngster didn't like the setup at all. There were too many places from which men could stage an ambush. She was determined not to stop and talk. This was a trap and she could smell it.

So she flipped her lead rope to Korsak and spurred her horse toward the two men. Pulling her Colt into action the girl opened fire on the two men. The first men took on to the chest. The second took one high as he dove for cover. Grey didn't miss a step as he hurtled the two wagons.

Suddenly, three other men on horseback came riding out from tree cover. Korsak fired and another man was down. Jane drew up Grey and wheeled him around to bring her gun to bear. Both men decided that the man with the mule was the target. After all, they wanted the mules of furs not a pitch battle.

They hadn't counted on Jane. Calmly, the child took aim on the lead rider. To account for his movement, the crack shot lead him a bit and fired. The man flew from his saddle as the bullet struck home. The second rider shot high, but Korsak didn't his colt bucked in hand as he fired. Five bushwhackers lay dead in the road.

Tears ran down the young girl's cheek. Jane never thought about what to do, she just did what was necessary. But that didn't mean that the child in her wasn't affected by the killing. The youngster knew it was wrong to kill, but she also knew that there were good people and bad people in the world. And that if the good people didn't act, the bad people would win.

Korsak rides up to the girl with an angry expression on his face. The aging mustanger shouts, "Wha' the hell war ya'll thinkin'? Howcha know dat weren't somebody from town collectin' a toll or somethin'?"

The young brunette didn't wilt under the onslaught. Jane met his eyes and said, "No badges."

The older hunter looked at the child and shook his head. He hadn't noticed. Yet, this young girl had seen it and acted upon it. He also hadn't noticed the tears running down her cheeks. Sometimes he forgot she was only nine going on fifty.

He rode up to her and handed her his handkerchief and said, "Sorry, I war wrong. You done good."

The young Italian girl wiped her eyes and dried her face and extended the handkerchief in order to return it. The old cowboy waved it off and said, "Keep it. Yar gonna need it, bein a girl and all."

He rode off in hurry. He didn't want to get shot.

***SE***

In 1845, Dallas was a new town. The name was only a year old, before the downtown was laid survey and laid out, it was known as Bird's Fort. In 1839, John Neely Bryan traveled the Caddo Indians trails until he came to a ford across the Trinity Flood Plain. It was the only ford for a hundred miles. He planned to build a trading post. But after a trip home to Arkansas, the pioneer decided to found a town.

His little settlement steadily grew. The year before the first doctor put out his shingle and a couple of months earlier the first lawyer opened his office. Right after that the first election took place to vote on annexation by the United States.

Jane and Korsak drove the wagons that they had confiscated from the bushwhackers to the trading post. They had the five bodies in the first wagon and several bundles of furs in the second. The two hunters found the furs while inspecting the wagons. In addition to the furs, they found seven rifles and four pistols among the bodies.

Korsak strolled into the trading post, while Jane waited outside, ready for any trouble. The aging mustanger went up the clerk and asked, "Can anybody identify some carcusses we has outside? They tried to bushwhack us about three miles out and warnt successful."

The clerk looked up from his bookkeeping and replied, "I'll see if I can. How many twere thar?"

The wily cowboy answered, "Five."

The clerk examined the bodies and the horses. He shook his head, while saying, "I recognize Billy Hatch, his pa has a farm outside of Cedar Springs. The others I never seen before. But I think they be part of the Hoyt gang. A raider named Hoyt has been astirring up trouble for people. I don't recognize the brands on the horses either."

Korsak asked, "Is thar any law here?"

The clerk smiled, "Not really, but we will be soon. Thar is a doctor, though I don't see him helpin these fellars. How's about ya and your daughter comin in and we can take business. I seen your furs."

The mustanger corrected the man, "Though I'd be rat proud to call her my daughter, she right likely ain't. This here is Jane Rizzoli, her pa is Big Frank Rizzoli."

The clerk replied, "I heared that name afore. Well, I'm glad to meet cha. I sent for the undertaker, he's our blacksmith as well. What can I do ya out of?"

Jane answered this time, "I have prime pelts that I want to trade for some Injun trade goods. Y'all know needles and such."

Greed lit the man's face as he said, "We carry such things. Maybe we can make a deal?"

Jane just gave her half smile that said, 'I gotcha."

Two hours later, the last of the supplies they had traded for were loaded onto the wagons. Jane had needles, bolts of cloth, flour, sugar, coffee, tobacco, candy, buttons, nails, tools, every knife the man had and all his hatchets and tomahawks.

They finished later than they planned. So, the pair decided to stay at the hotel for the night. They boarded the wagons, mules, horses and wagons at the livery overnight. It had been a tiring day for the young girl. She went to her room and found it very empty. Korsak was in the room across the hall, but Jane didn't want to bother him.

So, that night Jane Rizzoli slept with a light on.

***SE***

Six days later, the pair of hunters arrived at the site Jane wants to build a trading post. They had traded and barter every fur into trade goods and supplies. In addition, they gone to assay office and converted their gold into $6,148 in coins. In an attempt to avoid telling were the gold came from Korsak filed a claim on a plot adjacent to the trading post. We would dig a mine and a corral to improve the site and use it to keep livestock.

The pair spent four days shoring up the claim and building livestock pens. Then the two hunters became builders. They dug a hole roughly 20' by 30'and 10' deep. The laid stone at the bottom and filled the gaps with wet clay and set it to harden. It was getting close to winter, so the two builders were in a bit of a hurry, however the basement storage was vital to their trading post.

Additional time was taken building a long trench from the top of the rock floor to a five by five by twelve foot hole. The trench ran at a diagonal from the ten foot basement floor to the twelve foot deep trench. One of the things they traded for was lengths of iron pipe, they dug the drain hole as far as they had piping. The pair then filled in the trench.

Using split rails from a nearby spruce grove, they lined the basement walls with wood and used tar between the gaps. Once the basement was completed, the dual started on the main building. The foundation was large spruce logs 25' by 35'. Two thirty five foot logs were notched and matched to five 25' logs space about 7' apart. Holes were drill and dawl pins were hammered at each joint. Then leather straps were wrapped around each joint and sealed with glue made from render deer hooves.

Using the same technique, the wall foundations were constructed and fastened to the floor foundation. Jane was a bit worried that their small grove of spruce was going to be completely decimated. Therefore it was decided to use adobe for the walls. But it was a gamble, making bricks took time and straw. Red Blanket came to the rescue. He owed Jane his life, so it was a matter of honor to help her.

He sent twenty of his squaws and older children to collect straw and make bricks. While they were making bricks, Jane and Korsak were completing the framing of the roof. The right wall was one foot higher than the left wall, so rain would run off the roof and a large fireplace and chimney to be made of adobe was framed. Then long poles from the branches of the spruce trees were added to the roof. They really didn't have enough wood to make shingles. Finally using dirt they sealed the roof.

The first bricks were dry by the time the whole house was framed and the roof completed. Snow started filtering down by the time the walls were being built. The two workers feared that the real snows would come before they completed their dwelling. Several of the older children started helping with the adobe and clay mortar for the walls. By the end of the third week the dwelling was finished.

Snow was falling in earnest by this time and it took all twenty-two people to unload the wagons into the basement. By the time the blizzard came the building was completed. Blankets intended for trade were passed out two to a person and the group slept on the pole floor of the new trading post. Jane looked around at what they had accomplished and smiled.

***SE***

It had been ten weeks since Jane had gone on her one week hunting trip and she came back leading twenty mules without a single buffalo hide. Her father was very puzzled and nervous when he approached his daughter. Korsak was not with her and she was accompanied by only Comanche teens.

Angela didn't care her baby had come home. Angela was now three months pregnant and it showed. Jane leaped from Grey and ran to her mother. They furiously embraced each other. Within her mother's embrace weeks of tears were released. The young girl sobbed, "I've kilt, Mama. I've kilt so many men. I's might be evil, Mama. I's don't know anymore."

Angela ran her hand through her daughter's long black hair and answered, "Child, y'all not evil. Sometimes good people has to do bad things, 'specially here in the wild. That does not make ya evil, it makes ys strong. Janie, y'all the strongest person I's ever known. There's iron in ya."

Big Frank came over and asked, "Where's Korsak?"

Jane wiped her tears and replies, "He's fine, Papa. He's guarding our new trading post."

The man was even more confused and asked, "What trading post?"

Jane went to his horse and pulled down her heavy saddle bags containing over six thousand dollars in gold and silver coins and then went into an explanation of the last ten weeks.

***SE***

Though her father was very in favor of the trading post, it came at a serious time. General Zachery Taylor had moved 3,500 troops to the Nueces River to challenge Mexico for the Rio Grande strip. It looked like war with Mexico was eminent. Taylor had personally come to the ranch to purchase 300 of their finest mounts. He even paid in gold coin.

The tall brunette didn't like this talk of war. The young Italian had left Korsak alone with no idea of the current situation. She kissed her mother and tossed the saddle bags to her father and mounted Grey and newly flew from the ranch toward their new trading post.

***SE***

Jane made the six day trip to the trading post in three days. Grey was laboring when Jane galloped into the front yard of the trading post. Korsak came out to meet his young charge with a hug and a quick review of the progress he was making.

He had cannibalized one of the wagons to make shelves and a counter. The mustanger had traded with the Comanche for twenty buffalo hides and three pair of moccasins and with the Kiowa for about six ounces of gold.

The soon to be ten year old loved his progress, but he needed to know what was going on at the Nueces. Korsak did not like the news at all. It could mean Mexican patrols and fighting with the Comanche and Kiowa. Either side could decide to attack her small group. To make matters worse, it appeared that this was going to be a tough winter.

Two weeks later, the pair was discussing what to do. It seemed the trading post was a booming success. The stock that they had purchased was dwindling, quickly. They had a basement full of furs.

Jane wanted to take a load into Dallas and get some new stock. Korsak didn't see how they could protect the trading post and drive a team into Dallas, The situation was too unstable. The problem was solved the next day. Big Frank rode up to the post with six men at his back. Neither Jane nor Korsak recognized any of the men.

Big Frank bellowed, "Janie, your maw is some put out with ya. Y'all promised to hep her while she was pregnant. So, I promised her that I'd bring ya home. I brung six men to work the post while ya go home and see yar Maw."

Jane replied, "Paw, I don't know these men."

The broad rancher announced, "These ere good boys. Doncha trust me?"

So the young brunette agreed, as long as Korsak could stay and supervise. Additionally, Jane was going to bring a load of furs and such home in order to trade for new merchandise.

***SE***

Jane stayed through the winter and spring. Her brother Frank was born April 28, 1846. The news from the border was bad. A small patrol of American troops was attacked by Mexican cavalry and the losses were heavy.

It seemed that there was no peace. Feeling isolated, Jane convinced her father to let her take a wagon into Dallas and get supplies for the trading post. The young girl had been gone from the post for almost six months and was anxious to get back to it.

Her father would not allow her to go allow. So she picked Henry Silverman to go with her. He was one of the hardest workers on the ranch. Henry was seventeen and a dead shot with his rifle.

The pair rode into Dallas and it had grown, since she was last there. The storekeeper, who had been so helpful the last trip recognized the young Italian. He got from behind the counter and proceeded to hug her. Jane stiffened a bit, she hated being touched. However, she was courteous enough to hug him back.

The store owner asked as he released the girl and stepped back from her space, "So, what can I do for ya?"

Jane replied, "Why don't you step outside and she wat I brung to trade. Then we can take deal on my long list of supplies I need at the post."

So the storekeeper followed the tall thin brunette outside to assess the value of her load.

***SE***

With the war going on, prices for all goods were high. However prices of furs and such were even higher. So a deal was struck. The young Italian girl struck a hard bargain, but the wagon couldn't carry it all. So the resourceful girl got another wagon as part of the deal.

The only problem was that Henry had disappeared. The young Italian had left her helper on the wagon. While the young girl was inside with the shopkeeper, he left.

The angry eleven, soon to be twelve, year old walked toward the saloon. The young Italian blood was near a boil as she approached the swinging door of the barroom. Without going in the almost teen scanned the room. There by the long mahogany bar was Henry drinking a beer. It's not that she had any problems with the man having a beer, but they had a job to finish.

The saloon had about twenty tables with four chairs around each table. There was a small stage with no curtains or other decorations. There was a large wagon wheel hanging from the ceiling with a gas lantern hanging from each spoke and a larger lantern hanging from the hub. Eleven men sat at the tables or at the bar. Six of the men were at a longer table at the end of the bar. They were playing cards.

Jane hitched up her pants and made sure that the gun in her belt had an easy pull. If there was any trouble, the young warrior wanted to be ready. Pushing her way through the swinging doors, the upset brunette stormed into the saloon.

Every eye in the place turned to see what had just slammed opened the doors. The bartender called out, "Hey, no kids in here."

The wild Italian pulled her dragoon colt and shot off the leg of an empty table and replied, "Mister, I ain't been a kid for six years. My name is Jane Clementine Rizzoli. My father is Big Frank Rizzoli. I've kilt bears, buffalo, Injuns and white men. I've hunted every hill, valley and stream in West Texas. I can out shoot and out ride any man twice my size. And that man over there works for me and he left without finishin' his job. Iffin he don't get to finishin' that job, I'm agoing to crease his pants at the ass for him."

A man sitting at a table to her left and slightly in the shadows laugh, "Boy, you better skid-daddle before she does what she says."

Henry dropped his beer and nearly ran out the door. Jane never took her eyes off the man who spoke. The young girl tried to make out who it was in the shadows. A slight movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She cocked her pistol and pointed it at the man trying to move from her field of vision, "Mister, I'd stay still while I'm in a bad mood. I might just think you're atryin' to bushwhack me for the money I'm acarryin'."

The coward froze in his tracks and started concentrating on his beer. The man in the shadows clapped as he said, "Miss, you will do. My name is Benjamin Franklin Carson, but I answer to about anythin. I'm ahuntin' work. I was awonderin' if you're ahiring."

Jane thought for a moment as she eased her pistol back into her belt, before she replied, "Well, I'm alookin' for men, who kin ride, rope and cuss. I wont men who can break horses and hearts. I wont men, who can work a lot and fight a little."

The man removed his hat and smiled, "Well, ma'am I kin fight a lot and work a little."

The Italian girl liked the man and smiled, "You're hired. We leave at first light. Do you need any eatin' money?"

The cowboy grinned a half smile and replied, "Why no ma'am, I et yesterday."

Jane pulled a five dollar gold piece from the watch pocket of her jeans and tossed it to the man, "I'm agoin' regret you. I kin see it now."

The smirking cowhand answered, "Why no ma'am, you're goin' enjoy my company."

***SE***

Lady Constance Isles loved the feel of Gina delicate fingers lingering over her swollen breasts. As well as the nanny's hot breast and soft tongue trailing down her taunt stomach. Perspiration clung to the two women despite the coolness of the winter morning. Silk sheets had long since been able to absorb any more moisture.

The Lady had just been awoken from glorious slumber after a night of passion by the caresses of her French lover. The statuesque brunette felt the dampness forming in her womanhood as the persistent tongue of her lover approached the spot.

The young nanny loved the taste of the salty flesh of her English lover. There was no class distinction in the bedroom. Here they could be equals, here they were lovers, each possessing the other, each providing ecstasy for the other. The woman's delicate fingers reached her lover's center and parted her vaginal lips. Lightly her fingernail flicked her exposed clit and the prim and proper English noblewoman's back arched and a moan escaped her lips.

Moving slightly further down the bed, the smaller woman blew a warm breathe lightly onto her lover's exposed center. Deftly she flicked her tongue repeatedly onto the swollen bud. Lady Constance Isles exploded and had to drown her screams in the down pillow. The young Frenchwoman continued her assault until her partner was totally spent. The Noblewoman collapsed limply into the bed.

The statuesque brunette gasp for breathe, her body gleaming with the moisture of sex and exertion. The younger woman slowly moved up her lover's body, her face smeared with the other woman's fluids. She licked her lips seductively with a smirk of satisfaction on her face. Sensually, the smaller woman burrowed beside her spent lover.

Constance panted out, "Gina, darling, give me a moment and I shall make you howl."

***SE***

The two lovers failed to see the three sets of young eyes monitoring there erotic dance. Maura, Georgina and Bridgette watched their mothers make passionate love to each other from the ajar entrance from Maura adjoining bedroom. The ten years looked at each other and had to suppress giggles, while the thirteen year old Georgina watched with avid interest. The young teen had spied many times on the pair of lovers from this very spot.

The younger girls were being treated by the curious teen to their first glimpse of their mothers' affair. Georgina had her reasons for this excursion. After every other encounter the squat brunette witnessed would go back to her room and rub her privates with her fingers.

After signaling the two younger girls to retreat away from the door, Georgina closed the adjoining door. The young girls scrambled to Maura's large four poster bed and began to giggle.

Maura had a long list of questions for the others, but was too nervous to ask. However, Bridgette was not that bashful as she asked, "What were they doing?"

The two younger girls looked to the more worldly Georgina for an answer. The older child answer simply, "When you rub your hole, you start to feel…"

But before she could finish her explanation, the girls heard Maura's maid pour a bucket of water into her copper tub. The sisters scampered from Maura's bedroom as fast as they could. After several more buckets of water were poured into the tub, Charlotte enter the bedroom and asked, "Did I hear voices in here milady?"

The child answered. "Hardly, there is no one here but myself. And if I were talking to myself, I would think I would be mad."

***SE***

A Christmas party raged in the Isles mansion in Swansea. Maura and her best friends were engaged in a frenzy of opening package after package of toys, gowns, underwear, stockings and shoes, all in the latest fashions, designed and sewn by Constance's full time dressmaker.

The tables were laden with cakes, pies, pastries and sweets. A string quartet played Chopin, Bach and Beethoven. Jugglers and clowns were abundant and frolicking about. But Maura was not distracted them. She tried to enjoy the festivities, but she knew her father was totally distracted by the events in France.

Lord Isles was at a loss of what to do in France. His careful plots and smooth manipulations had failed and Louis-Napoleon was now in control in France. He had been elected president. The news had just reached him the previous day, though it was no surprise to the former sea captain. The signs had been there for three years and the astute businessman had been instrumental in delaying the inevitable.

Maura had informed him that by the middle of December, another Napoleon would be in power. His young daughter also predicted that he would relinquish power as the French constitution required in 1851. The innocent, but wise, girl had more dire prediction, which he had conveyed to the Queen herself, his young girl had informed him in her most direct way that Napoleon would crown himself emperor by 1852.

What the English Lord feared the most is that his daughter had never been wrong. Assuming she is correct and there was no reason not to assume it, then what was the next step. Great Britain was building an empire as great and as rich as ancient Rome. They could not afford another Napoleon.

Maura watched her father. The child had opened all her gifts with as much feigned enthusiasm as she could fake, but she had to speak with her father. The honey blonde picked up a doll from her pile of presents and skipped to her father. As the young girl approach, she smiled, "Thank you for the dolly, Papa. What do you think I should name her?"

The father's scowl was replaced with a vivid smile. His daughter could always make the salty Lord smile. So, he answered with some enthusiasm as genuine as her own, "I don't know. I'm not so good with doll names."

The young blonde continued, "How are you at planning for the future of France, now that Louis-Napoleon is President of France?"

The smile vanished as he replied, "How do you know about that? I just got the message, a half hour ago."

The genius girl answered, "I saw a courier from Dover deliver a message. Since I predicted that the elections would go to Napoleon, it was only logical to assume the message was confirming my prediction."

The aging father tiredly picked up his ten year old daughter and laughed, "Of course, you were quite right I just hope you will be wrong about the rest."

The young girl smiled at her father, who could never get enough of smiles from his lovely daughter, "I'm afraid, father, that I will be right. I further predict that there is going to be a sugar prices are going to drop with the new process fully in place and with the new free trade policy. Cuban sugar is going cause a large drop. Jamaica will not be able to compete. I suggest we start loaning money to the Jamaican Sugar Plantations, so we can buy up their properties to settle their debts."

Her father nodded, "Do it. If your prediction is wrong for once, we will still receive interest."

Maura waved her hand and said, "Father, I will keep the interest rate low in order to attract more takers. Additionally, I have thought of a way to keep this new Napoleon from causing us trouble."

The worried Lord, "Really, pray tell, how do we keep this Napoleon from being as much a pain as his uncle."

The young girl's eyes lit up as she answered, "The answer is simple. A common enemy makes rivals friends."

The great Lord thought on this for a moment and smiled, which turned into laugh. He laughed until he had trouble catching his breath. Lord Fredrick picked his favorite girl and whirled her around, while laughing. When he stopped they had to catch their balance for a moment. Lord Isles looked his daughter in the eye and said, "You may be the most dangerous person in the world."

Maura just smiled.

***SE***


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I must apologize I made a history error that I have corrected. I erroneously used a Dragoon Colt in 1844, which I remembered didn't exist until 1848. I have subsequently replaced the Dragoon Colt with the Colt Paterson, which was invented in 1836. It is so named, because it was manufactured in Paterson, New Jersey. The Colt Paterson was a five shot cap and ball pistol, which became famous in 1844, when Captain Jack Hays and fifteen Texas Rangers defeated over 80 Comanche warriors at Walker Creek just north of San Antonio. **

**Another historical fact, the inaugural of Zachary Taylor was so rowdy that troops from the nearby armory had to be called in to restore order.**

**Chapter 5: Flocking Together:**

By the time Jane came back from her supply trip to Texas, the ranch was stripped of nearly every horse. At first Jane thought rustlers had taken all the stock, so she told the others to bring the wagons in as she mounted Grey and rode hard to the ranch house. When the young girl got there she shouted, "Pa, somebody has stole every horse on the place."

Big Frank came out of the house and strolled over to his daughter and answered, "Janie, don't worry. We sold every head, but for some breeding stock to the Army. We got 20 dollars a head for 600 head."

Warily Jane dismounted her horse, she knew her pa to be a trusting man. So the brunette queried, "Pa, how did they pay ya? Did they pay in silver or gold?"

Her pa looked down as he replied, "They paid in script."

The ten year old was beside herself, "Pa, you always said get paid in gold or silver, never paper."

The older man answered, "I know, honey, but this General Taylor was setch a nice man. He's an honest man and he said I kin redemn my paper for gold in New Orleans."

The angry Italian girl said, "Okay, Pa, who is going to make the trip. Ma is pregnant, so's nary a one of us kin leave. Korsak has to run the trading post. I dint trust anybody else."

Her Pa rubbed his beard and answered, "Wal, I guess we's jest got to do her after the boy's born."

***SE***

That summer, Angela gave birth to a boy, Francesco Antonio Rizzoli, Jr on July 6, 1847. There just didn't seem to be enough time for Big Frank to make his trip to New Orleans to get his $12,000. Jane for her part bit her tongue. The trading post was bringing in more than enough cash to support the ranch. Though after Walker Creek, relations with the Comanche were strained a bit.

Ben Carson had proven to be a top hand. He was an excellent horseman and knew more about raising cattle than raising hell, which he did with relish. Jane didn't make the trading trips to Dallas anymore, Ben did. He came back with every penny and proved to be a sharp trader.

Henry took over the trading post. His pa had been a storekeeper and had been raised in knowing how to do it. He was much better at running the trading post than he was at being a cowhand. Besides, he freed Korsak and Jane to go horse hunting. They needed stock to increase the herd decimated by the big horse sale.

The two rode west into New Mexico to hunt some wild stock. They came across two herds of over forty head each. Therefore, the two mustangers camped for a couple of days to watch and learn.

After two days of watching the herd, the pair discussed what to do next. Jane asked, "Do y'all thin we'd build a coral by the crick, where they water every mornin'.

Korsak, by far the more experienced mustanger, replied, "Could work, but I thin we'd be better off running them into that steep gully just south of here. Iffin we run 'em till the gully runs out. It's too steep fer 'em to climb out. They'd be trapped. We'd build a fence with a twin gate gap for them to run through, then close the gate."

The rangy brunette nodded and added, "We'd counterweight the gates wit a line like a snare and the gate'd come down on its own."

The older mustanger smiled, "I like that idear. Let's do her."

So the pair rested that night and before first light, they went to build their fence with counterweighted gates. They sent two days getting it right. So on the fifth day since they scouted the horses, they started moving the horses toward the gully.

The two mustangers working in tandem slowly worked the horses toward the gully. The longer it took the stallion to notice his herd was being driven the better for their plan. After about three hours of slow work, the stallion started to get antsy. So, Jane, who noticed the stallion starting to balk, spooked the lead mare into running into the gully. All the other mares followed.

The stallion got a late start trying to head off his herd. The large roan stallion was making great time towards overtaking his lead mare. But just as he was catching her to head her off, the herd entered the trap. The trip wire, which was ten yards inside the fence, was activated by the charging stallion.

The gates came crashing down with only four mares on the wrong side of them. While Jane locked the gates, Korsak started roping the four escaping horses. The wild horses reared and tested the fencing for weakness, but there was none to be found.

The wild Italian rode up and down the fence forcing wild horse with her lasso to retreat from the railing. When Korsak had the four wild mares roped and hobbled, he went to help the young mustanger. After several minutes, the wild horses tired and began to pace nervously behind the fencing. A couple of the mares and the stallion tried to climb the gorge walls without any success.

The pair of riders took turns breaking the four mares to the saddle. Unlike the way, Jane likes to horses, the pair would hobble the front and back legs with ropes, then put on the blanket and saddle. They would then release the hobbles with the horse firmly tired to a post driven deeply into the ground. '

When the horse tired and was weaken, one of the two would mount the bronc and the other would release the restraints. The two were excellent horsemen, so the broncos were no match for the mustangers. Within an hour the four mares were broken and add to the string, which was a long rope with each end tied firmly to a tree.

By the time the four horses were broken, it was well past the sun's zenith. So, the pair of cowhands broke for a noon meal of bacon, beans and coffee. After they ate and rested for about an hour, they got back to work.

The two working in consort cut the stallion from the other horse and managed to rope him. The trick was getting out of the gate without letting the others loose. So the weights of the gate were cut so that they could swing open, but only by an exterior force.

Korsak looped one lasso around a convenient tree, while Jane did the same. They then tied enough rope between the bronc's two hind legs for it to walk slowly, but not freely. Then Korsak led the stallion out of the pen, while Jane opened a single gate ready to close it if needed.

With the stallion outside the fence, the two experienced horse trainers used their previous process to break him. He broke after throwing both Jane and Korsak twice. But he finally was gentled and strung with the other horses.

Next, the lead mare was driven out. Then each horse were randomly selected then broken. By the time they quit for the night, they had broken sixteen of twenty-three horses. It was a nice string. There were several young colts that needed their mother's milk. And the colts of broken mares were reunited with their mothers. There was no danger of a young colt leaving his mother's teat.

The two tired bronc busters ate a hot meal of pan fried steak and boiled rice with beans left over from lunch. After drinking four cups of the strong coffee, the brunette Italian was not ready for sleep. So she pulled a book from her saddle bag and started reading by the campfire light.

Korsak was curious, "Whacha areadin, Janie?"

The young girl was quite the reader. Angela had made sure her daughter could read and write and now by the age of almost twelve, she had graduated to reading books on commerce and the law. So, the intelligent brunette answered, "I'm readin a book on Federal commerce. I'm areadin about military script. I'm worried on that script that pa got. Do y'all know some of that script has wha they call an expiration date? That means if y'all don't trade it in by a certain date, they can pay y'all as little as 50 cents on a dollar."

Korsak answered, "Thar dint seem rat to me?"

Jane nodded, "Taint rat, but I has to look at that thar script a little closer when we gets back?"

Korsak nodded and setup their bedrolls, while Jane read her book. He could see that she was worried her Pa was getting cheated. The dark girl was not as trusting as her Pa.

After about two hours of reading, the girl's chocolate eyes started to tire and water. Therefore, the weary cowhand put her book into her saddle bags and banked the fire. The young mustanger went to bed about four feet away from a sleeping Korsak.

***SE***

Two weeks later the pair of mustangers led a string of 47 horses, three stallions and 44 mares into the coral outside the barn of the Rizzoli Ranch. Tomorrow, they would brand the new stock.

Big Frank came out of the barn, where he and another hand had just delivered a fine new mare colt. His overall were bloody and muddy, as he walked over to inspect their new stock. He smiled with pride to his daughter, "Wal, Janie, y'all done good. I see. How many head did y'all get?"

Jane replied with little modesty, "47, three stallions and 44 mares."

The big rancher whistled and ordered, "Go see yar mama, she's pregnant agin."

The dark girl looked worried as she replied, "Ain't it a little soon, I mean Frankie is only three months old."

The dark man just shrugged as he answered, "I know, but it's not like it can be heped. God chooses the time. Y'all knows that baby girl."

The harden cowhand blushed and started walking toward the house. Angela was baking bread in the kitchen, when her dark daughter walked in with a smile and a warm hug. Little Frank was asleep in his crib. Her mother wasn't showing, yet, so she had to ask, "Y'all shore, mama?"

Angela replied, "Yes, baby, I'm shore. Y'all look so good, but y'all smell to high heaven. Go take a bath and get ready for sum early dinner. I'm makin spaghetti with marinara sauce."

Jane smiled and hurried off to take her bath; spaghetti with marinara sauce was her favorite. Mama must have been making pasta all day. It was a long and difficult possess to make pasta, but it was worth it.

***SE***

As the family and Korsak sat to eat the Italian meal, Jane entered in a beaded deer skin tunic over tight leather slacks with leather fringe to help keep water from wetting the pants. She wore the new moccasins that Red Blanket had sent to her through the trading post. Her black hair shone of being freshly wash and combed. Her wild locks would go curly when they dried, but now they were long and straight and nearly reached the back of her thigh.

Her mother was stunned, her daughter looked so beautiful. The dark girl was nearly as dark as a negro with from working outdoors, daily. But it only added to her exotic beauty. There was no doubt in Angela's mind that her daughter would land a fine husband.

Korsak broke the stunned silence by saying, "Janie, y'all look beautiful. Whacha dress fer?"

Jane blushed at the compliment and smile brightly, "After dinner, I'ma ridin' ta the Red Blanket's winter camp. He sent me this here outfit and I wat to honor him."

Big Frank shook his head, "I dint know, Janie. The Comanch ere alittle riled rat now. I know it's been nigh on to three years since Walker Creek, but the Comanch have long memories."

Jane stood firm and replied, "Pa, I'm adopted. I'm every bit a Comanche warrior and they knows it."

Korsak said, "I'll go wit her. I wat to talk to that old Bastard anywho."

So, it was settled and the family sat down to eat their dinner.

***SE***

Lady Maura Isles was dress in her green silk gown, which just arrived from Paris with the latest intelligence from the Company agents there. The eleven year old girl was handing most of the business for Isles Trading and Shipping. Her father was not a well man. He was paying for his excesses in his youth.

The young heiress called for Henry, who arrived promptly. When the young man arrived, he kissed the presented hand and bowed, saying, "You look ravishing as usual, milady."

The young girl blushed. She was used to such comments, but she was still young enough to be embarrassed by them. Her reply was business related as the tall dark assistant expected, "I just received word from our representatives in France. Passy forced his income through the Legislative Assembly and Barrot resigned as Prime Minister. They are also placing a wine tax."

Henry shook his head and answered, "Just as you predicted last month. I assume we got our wine out in time?"

Maura handed him a manifest from her French merchant fleet, "Fifteen ships fully laden with French wine is due here in a fortnight. You will see that our kitchens get the finest from the shipment. And feel free to take four cases for yourself and your lovely wife."

Henry bowed and replied, "Thank you, milady. And as always, I will do as you instruct."

The blonde noblewoman started walking out with her assistant in tow. As she inquired, "How is Margret, I understand, she is with child?"

Henry beamed with pride. His wife had just confided in him with the news. It was their first child and come sometime in the late summer or early fall. How the Lady keeps up on it all, he had no idea. He only knew that the woman was brilliant and always ahead of the competition.

The Isles fleet now number in the hundreds of ships. Isles Ship Yards was laying the keel on an experimental steamship with iron screws. It was still in development, but the Lady Maura was working with designers to make the project a success. She expected to have a working ship launched by her eighteenth birthday.

He had some disturbing news from China, "Pirates attacked our fleet of silk heading to our Japanese markets. They were beaten off but two ships sustained damage thereby forcing a two week delay for repairs making our fleet late getting to the tea markets."

Lady Maura inquired, "Why would Chinese pirates in Junks attack a fleet of twelve forty gunners. It makes no sense. I want inquiries, I smell intrigue. I think that our Scottish competitors paid for this raid to slow make us late to market. If they have, I will break them. I assume Captain Talbot has made arrangements for our silver to be in play on time."

Henry smiled, "Yes, milady. Our fleet left on time, it seems you can hire an army of workers for a few barrels of rice. He was able to make repairs in three days. We do owe the Shogun a favor."

The young blonde nodded, "Send Sakai Tadaaki two hundred bolts of silk."

With that Henry left his Lady confident in the fact that she was on top of the situation.

***SE***

It was nearly a year later, when Jane finally closely examined the script given to her father for the sale of their horses to the United States Army and found something very disquieting. Her father was sitting the rocker with Little Frank and the twelve year old's mother was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. She took the script to her father with the bad news, "Pa, this script's good for 50 cents on the dollar til the War with Medico's over. Then one year after Congress radyfies that there treaty then y'all kin get the whole thin."

Pa took the script from his daughter and read it. He looked at the young girl and asked, "War do it say that?"

Jane turned the script over and handed the big man her magnifying glass and showed her father the fine print, "Pa, had y'all gone to get that money, youd have gotten only $6,000, half in paper and half in gold, like it says on the back side."

Pa was angry, but what could he do? He'd taken the script in payment. Jane pulled out the book she'd been reading and read him the passage, she had marked, "It say har:

_It is a common practice with military script for it to be a form of war bond, whereupon the full value of the script is not incurred until such time as a treaty is ratified by Congress or until the Treasury Department has authorized full payment. In many cases a period of time after such an event is added as insurance against one of the treaty parties renouncing the terms of the treaty. Therefore it is incumbent on the party obtaining the script to know the full terms of said script as there is no regress against the government unless the government specifically allows such regress._"

Her Pa looked confused when he asked, "What does that mean, Janie?"

The brunette Italian felt sorry for her Pa and put her arms around his shoulders and said kindly, "It means that y'all haveta be careful adealin wit the Government, cause y'all kin't sue em unlessing they let y'all sue em."

Her father looked more confused when he asked, "Why'd they let ya sue em?"

Jane sighed, "Why would they?"

***SE***

Three weeks later, a Captain Winston Pierce from the United States Army came to buy two hundred head of cattle from Big Frank Rizzoli. The upset Italian asked, "How y'all plan to pay fer the beef?"

The Captain smiled and answered, "Why by Army script, we are prepared to pay twenty dollars a head."

It was lucky for that Captain that Jane was there to handle her father's temper. The angry rancher was about to run the Army officer off his property, when the young brunette walked over and interrupted her tall father, "Captain, we only sell fer gold or silver. We kin't take anymo script. Sees we got $12,000 in script that we kin't re-deem til y'all stop fittin. We just kin't afford anymo. Y'all kin see that, now?"

The young girl's logic surprised the older Captain. He had been dealing with farmers and ranchers all through Texas and he had met two kinds. The first kind just didn't read the script and sold without reading it, then when they got to New Orleans to receive payment they were took half. The second kind drove the officer off with a gun and he got to come back with troops and force the sale, because of threatening an Army officer. But this girl was informed and reasonable. However, she was just a girl. So the aging Captain asked Big Frank, "Does she run this ranch or do you?"

Before her father could say something he would regret later, the Italian Brunette answered for him, "Sir, my Pa runs this ranch well. Dontcha think? I war jest clarifying his position, seein how Pa's from Itly and don't know much English."

It was a lie, of course. Big Frank spoke English well, but she wanted to give her father a way to stay out of trouble. At that moment Korsak walked up to the tall rancher and whispered in his ear. He smiled and said, "You, you talk daughter. I go house."

Jane smirked a small smile at the flustered officer, as she said, "Like I say, iffin y'all wont to trade or buy wit metal, then we kin talk. But iffin y'all wont to buy wit script then we kin't do bidness."

The grey haired Captain wasn't finished, he had one more ploy, "I could force you to sell by imminent domain."

The young girl smiled at this, she had been waiting for it. She pulled out a law book and replied, "Y'all could iffin y'all got a writ from a judge. It say so in this here book."

The longtime officer was well aware of the law and knew he was dealing with a very smart girl. When he asked, "Do you mind telling me how old you are?"

Jane answered with a shrug, "Captain, I'll be thirteen this coming March. Not that it means anythin out here in the wild. Hell, I've been adoin a man's work since I was six. Out cheer, y'all put up or shet up."

The Army officer tipped his hat and said as he rode away, "If you were a boy, you'd be running this territory in five more years."

Jane called out, "Captain, bein' a girl means I'll be runnin her in three."

***SE***

Several days later Captain Jonathan Dwyer of the United States Army rode onto the Rizzoli ranch at the head of a troop of twenty soldiers. He was younger and more dashing than that rude man who never left his name.

Jane did not like the look of this; she knew that her father would not take kindly to this show of force. Fortunately, her father and most of the hands were out on the range rounding up the herd for counting, branding and gelding. The summer was ending and the stock had to be culled and prepared for winter.

The last two winters had been mild, so her father was worried that this one would be a mean one, especially since the summer had been so mild, one even say cool.

The war with Mexico was nearly over. There was word that there was a treaty and it had been ratified. So when Captain Dwyer returned, he was met by a curious twelve year old, who greeted the men, "Howdy, wat kin I do fer ya?"

The Captain answered, "Well, you can sell me 200 head of cattle, preferably steers."

The young Italian answered, "Wal, I guess I could iffin y'all had cash money and no script."

The Captain replied kindly, "In fact, I have been authorized by General Taylor to pay you with $5,000 in paper notes issued by the Carrollton Railroad and Banking Company and by the Citizen's Bank of Louisiana for the State of Louisiana. They are payable in gold on demand in New Orleans."

The wily girl had read about paper money. It was backed by gold and other hard goods like cotton. So it was sound in principle as long the bank that issued it was sound. But she couldn't appear to be too anxious. So she asked, "I thought we'd agreed to $30 a head."

The Army officer smiled, he love negotiations, "That was the script price. The cash price is $25 a head."

The Italian in the youngster loved negotiations as well, so she said, "Why dontcha sit and lit? I'll send yourn men some vitals and apple cider. Weuns kin go inside and pelaber a bit."

The smiling officer gave the order to dismount, "Sergeant, water the horses and rest in the shade, while we discuss price. Please Miss Rizzoli make it hard cider, my men have had a hard ride."

The young lady just smiled and nodded. She liked a man who took care of his men.

***SE***

Jane Rizzoli handed her father a bill of sale and $5,300 in paper money. Each bill had 'Payable in Gold' written plainly on each bill. The dark haired girl explained, "Twas the best I could do Papa. They had soldiers and would've taken the cattle and left script. At least wit paper money as long as the bank's sound, y'all kin exchange it for gold."

Frank Rizzoli was not upset with his daughter. The girl had done everything she could to make the ranch a success. His daughter's trading post was bringing in more cash than the ranch. What really riled the Big Rancher was that he had been on the range while his daughter was making better decisions than he had.

The problem was the man was jealous of his own daughter. The twelve year old girl had accomplished more in her short life than the elder Italian had. The fact that he and wife had come to American with little more than the clothes on their backs and big ambitions and had built one of the largest ranches in West Texas had eluded him.

The truth was Big Frank Rizzoli was a well respected and important figure in the area. And because of this an opportunity was about to come knocking at his door.

***SE***

It was almost 10 o'clock, when Alexander Crockrell knocked on the door of Frank Rizzoli. He had come on behave of a friend. Zachery Taylor was running for President of the United States in 1848. The former General had remembered the tough no nonsense rancher from the time the new president had bought some horses from the man.

So the Whig nominee wrote a letter to old friend, who knew Alexander Crockrell. Mr. Crockrell was now the largest landowner in Dallas and very influential. General Taylor had asked the landowner to contact Big Frank, because he needed a man he could trust to run for the Electoral College as one of his four delegates from Texas.

Mr. Crockrell pointed out, "It's most likely the Democrats'll win Texas. The Whigs ere mostly a northern party and ere unlikely to win a single southern state. However, he does have to put up a slate of delegates and he liked ya when he met cha two year ago. So, what kin I tell the General?"

Angela was beaming and vigorously shaking her head. Jane merely nodded with a grin. The young girl idolized her father and thought this was just his due. So, Big Frank replied, "Y'all tell him sure."

***SE***

There was no stauncher campaigner than Big Frank Rizzoli. The Big Rancher made speeches all over West Texas in an effort to get his man elected President. Unfortunately, he failed, though it was much closer in this part of Texas than elsewhere in the South.

However, three weeks after the election, Captain Dwyer came to the ranch. He was wearing his formal uniform with a large plumed triangular hat. The young cavalry officer rode into the ranch with an ease of horsemanship that only hours of practice can achieve.

Frank and Jane walked up the oncoming horse. Frank said, "Wal, lite and set."

The dapper young officer dismounted and snapped to attention and said, "Mr. Francesco Rizzoli, I have a letter from the President Elect of the United States."

The erect Captain reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a large white envelope. He extended the letter to the Large Rancher. Frank took the envelope and opened it. He could read print well enough, but he trouble with cursive, so he handed it to Jane, who read:

_Dear Mr. Rizzoli,_

_Thank you for effort on my behalf. Though we did not win, I have taken the liberty to pen you in hopes that you will come to my Inaugural on March 5, 1849. Enclosed is invitation and hotel reservation. I apologize that all expenses must be incurred by yourself. I hope to see you in Washington on the specified day. Please RSVP as soon as possible._

_Yours Truly,_

_Zachery Taylor, President Elect _

Big Frank listened as his daughter read in total disbelief and asked, "Janie, wat do that mean?"

Jane smiled, "It means we have to find a way to pay for a trip to Washington for the day after my birthday."

The Captain beamed a smile at young Jane and said, "Can I have your answer? It seems I am to wait until, I have your answer."

Jane spoke for her father, "Of course, the answer's yeah. What fool rejects the President?"

Captain Dwyer replied, "Well, that is done. Now, Mr. Rizzoli, I have a personal question I would like to ask."

The tall rancher asked, "Wal askit."

The man stood his tallest and asked, "Sir, if you would so honor me by allowing me to court your daughter with the intentions of wedlock. I have two letters of recommendation if you would like."

Jane stood there in shock. The young hunter was flattered by the proposal, but she had no intention of being courted by any man. The smart girl had read too much. The tall brunette knew that if she were to marry her husband would inherit the ranch and not her. According to the law, men were responsible for all his wife's property and debts. So, the intelligent teen wasn't going to marry anyone, just yet.

To his credit, the father and patriarch looked to his daughter for guidance. So, Jane made an effort to comfort the man by saying, "Though I'd love to be courted. I kint do her. I'm too young and too busy."

The dashing Captain donned his hat and bowed, "Then I will return in two years to ask again. You will be older by then and we will revisit the issue. I have been posted here to fight the Comanche, who have been raiding border towns around Mexico."

He mounted his horse and rode away for a while. Jane hoped she hadn't made a mistake.

***SE***

The plan was simple. Two weeks before the Augural, Jane and Frank would ride to New Orleans and exchange their paper money for gold and silver. Then they would proceed to Washington by rail and horse. When using the train they planned to box their horses.

Angela was too busy to go. The new mother had two young sons now and refused to leave them with strangers. Thomas Philippe Rizzoli was born on October 19, 1848. He would be just a few months old when Frank and Jane left for Washington.

***SE***

The Isles got off the ship in Baltimore Harbor days before the Augural of Zachary Taylor as President of the United States. Lord Isles had been expressly invited by President-elect Taylor. For years, General Taylor had conducted business with Isles Trading and Shipping. Fredrick Isles had a standing contract to buy sugar cane from Taylor properties. So, it was only natural for the new President to invite an old acquaintance.

There was the additional matter of a new port from which Isles Trading and Shipping would operate in the United States. Isles Trading and Shipping had been operating out of New Orleans for forty years, now. However, a few months ago, Isles shipping had purchased an option on warehouses in Savannah, Georgia. Normally, the President of the United States wouldn't involve himself in such a trivial matter, but due to their long term relationship, the President wanted to discuss the matter.

Not that it mattered to the United States whether or not New Orleans or Savannah got the lucrative business, what matter was whether this was a ploy to get Isles spies on the East Coast. It was a poorly kept secret that Lord Isles used his business dealings to spy on France. Well, if he could spy on France; he could spy on the United States.

The President thought it best for the country as a whole that Lord Isles keep his shipments in New Orleans.

***SE***

Maura sat on the train from Baltimore admiring the view of the landscape vanishing as they passed. The girl was approaching her eleventh birthday and was having trouble dealing with how her parents had started treating her. On many occasions, she overheard her parents arguing about what arrangements could be made on her behalf to eligible young men of marrying age.

Maura had done a lot of reading on the rights of a wife once she married and was devastated to learn that women were little more than chattel with no say in her own financial affairs. That was not going to happen to Maura Isles. She would see to that.

As the family left the train, the young ladyship scanned the other incoming trains. When she gazed upon a young woman dressed in animal skins with pants and a tunic. The girl was tall with rich dark curly hair. The ten year old couldn't make out her eyes, but the young girl could see that the tall brunette wore a side arm and carried a long dirk.

When a porter came to take her bag, she yanked it back refusing to yield her property to the man. When the man insisted, the young woman punched him in the face. The porter fell backwards from the blow landing on his bum.

Maura laughed at her antics, but her father commented, "What a savage! Come along, let's get to the manor."

As the young honey blonde girl reached for her luggage, a short fast man dressed in old tatters raced out from behind a support column and in one motion cut the cord on Maura's beaded cloth handbag while grabbing the bag itself. The thief was on the run and about to escape, when his face ran into a forearm covered in beaded leather. The arm had been honed by years of hard work and fighting and barely yielded to the full force of the thief's chin.

The stunned man's leg flew into the air and he came down hard on his head and right shoulder. The force of the impact combined with the stunning blow of the leather housed forearm was too much for the delicate man's consciousness and ego.

The leather clad brunette picked up the stolen bag and walked it over to shorter younger lady. A young woman with shining brown eyes and bright golden smile presented the bag with a flare and a deep bow. The tall brunette smirked a bit as she said, "Here ya go little lady. He won't bother ya agin. That's for sure."

The young girl was staring and had to blink several times to stop gazing into those magnificent eyes. The innocent Lady turned her head to stop her gaze and watched as two policemen dragged the offending man away. All young Maura could so was whisper, "Thank you."

A policeman in a very ornate uniform came to the small party and apologized, "I'm sury dat man bothered ur lordship. He would be abothering another soul."

"Well, Captain, it is no thanks to you or your men that my daughter's purse was recovered. Had this young woman not intervened, that ruffian would have stolen a very valuable purse," stated an enraged Lord Isles, "I will inform your superiors about how disappointed I am with the whole affair."

A very nervous and chagrin police captain faded away in pursuit of his men. The older man was worried he would lose his job over the incident.

Maura looked at her satin handbag totally beaded with small bead handmade from white marble and studded with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. This handbag had cost 45 pounds, which was about 225 American dollars. But it wasn't the purse or its value that bother the young blonde; it was this fascinating young woman.

How could a woman become so strong and vital? Lord Isles watched his daughter from the corner of his eyes and chuckled to himself. His daughter was never flustered or speechless. Yet, this savage from the wilds of American was silencing the honey blonde. Lord Isles was inspired, maybe this young woman could do something to bring his young daughter out of her loneliness. So, the police nobleman offered, "I wish to thank you sincerely for coming to my daughter's aid. Let me introduce myself. I am Lord Isles and this is my daughter Maura. Can I not compensate you in some way for helping us?"

The elder Rizzoli and his daughter were very confused for a second, when Jane asked, "Mister, ere ya tryin to insult me. I don't hep people fer pay. I hep em cuz I kin."

"I am so sorry. I did not mean to offend you. It is we are new to your country and here to attend the auguration of President Taylor. Where I am from it is customary to offer a reward for the return of valuables," explained the former sea captin.

The young Italian from West Texas replied, "Wal, I should smile, we're har to go to that there augural too. Me and my Papa were invited personally by old Zack Taylor, hisself. And sir, it be the custom war I come from that ya hep folks out when ya kin.

This here awry lookin' cuss is my Papa, Big Frank Rizzoli. I be Jane."

The young blonde found her voice to say one word, "Jane."

The father almost laughed as he spoke, "Where are you staying while in Washington? I do not ask without cause. Since, you refuse my money; I would like to extend my hospitality. We have recently purchased a manor in Georgetown and would love for you and your father to be our guest. It is not often that we meet people so willing to come to our aid."

Though he was speaking English, Jane had a little trouble understanding the man. However, the soon to be teen understood, they were being invited to stay at the man's house. This was something the wily girl could understand. It was common for folks to share houses. So the young Italian replied, "We've got reservation at Browne's, but we can change that."

The young brunette was a bit shaken. The dark Italian had looked into those hazel eyes with green flecks and was lost. Jane had never wanted to know another person like she wanted to know the young woman, whose purse had been stolen. There was no doubt in her response, "We'd love to stay at yore place."

***SE***

The Isles manor in Georgetown was a three story monument to the Romans. The main house was made of red brick trimmed in newly painted white wood. The columns on the veranda stood eighteen feet and three large chandeliers lit the front porch. A long cobblestone driveway led to a large circular driveway. In the center was gigantic twenty foot height mermaid fountain.

The front doors were massive reaching aobut fourteen feet. Four large bay windows connected the interior with the front porch as well as the door. The veranda itself was littered with four large wooden rockers and three set of rattan lounging furniture.

The large ornate carriage with the Isles family crest painstakingly painted on the side doors pulled into the circular drive stopping at the front door. The younger girl had sat quietly and genteelly by her new heroine. The young English Lady had never met so confident a young woman. For Jane's part, she gawked at every site from the Capitol Building to the foundation of the Washington Monument, just under construction. The young Texan didn't know which city was bigger or more fascinating New Orleans or Washington.

The footman opened the door of the carriage closest to the front door and place two steps for the passengers to disembark. Maura was the first to exit; she took the offered hand of the footman and proceeded down the steps. The young Lady was followed by Jane, then her father and lastly Lord Isles.

The party of four were greeted at the front door by the manor's butler and escorted inside. The vestibule was dominated by a tremendous double stairway. Coats were taken and the small group was herded into the parlor, which was a huge 20' x 32' room with almost every each of wall; bearing a portrait of some dead relative.

The father and dark daughter were herded to a large straight back parlor couch, while Maura was seated in a large overstuffed chair to Jane's left. Lord Isles sank into large leather chair with matching stool. The room's huge fireplace warmed the room and danced shadows across portraits and walls.

Lord Isles and Frank Rizzoli dominated almost all the conversation, while riding in the carriage to the manor. The two men came to understand that Lord Isles was buying cattle, lumber and furs from the Rizzolis and had been for years. In fact, Lord Isles had just dispatched an agent to seek the Large Rancher and have him sign a new five year contract.

The pair of businessmen continued their discussion in the parlor, while their daughters sat and listened. Maura, who had been handling most of the company business as of late, interrupted the discussion with, "Mr. Rizzoli, the fact of the matter is shipping cattle is difficult no matter how you do. For instance, as of last year, shipping live cattle results in the loss of one cow per eleven, while the shipping of meat resulted in only a loss of one in fourteen. Therefore it is obviously better to ship meat and not live cattle.

Additionally, being in West Texas, you are familiar with sugar beets, are you not?"

Big Frank could not believe that such a small innocent girl was so familiar with the inner workings of business. So, he was stuck for an answer when his daughter chimed in, "Ya gotta understand, we need every bitta ranch fer feed. I knows the profitability of sugar beets and all, but weins dernt have the time or land to raise a side crop of sugar beets."

"I just read a study that shows the by-product remaining after the sugar is extracted from the beet is very good feed. Since there is always some sugar remaining in the residue, the by-product helps fatten the cow. Additionally, we can pay cash for all sugar produced," responded the honey blonde.

The tall brunette countered, "We aint got no mill access and shipping back and forth aint the answer neither. We's tried it."

Maura thought for just a moment and savored the eye contact. The young girl was so fascinated by those chocolate eyes. The innocent girl shook her head and answered frankly, "You could build a mill on your property or purchase new property if necessary on which to build a mill. There you could process your own beets and use the pulp for feed."

Jane thought for a moment. This young girl smelled so good, that her smell was starting to be a distraction. To shake the feeling she queried, "War ere gonna get the machinery to build a mill. I don't want it."

The honey blonde quickly countered, "We could loan you the money at no interest for five years with the specification that you sell us your sugar at five percent below common commodity price for sugar."

Jane countered offer, "3%"

Maura said with a finality, "4% and not a quarter point less."

The young Italian warmed the brilliant child's heart once more with her best smile as she agreed to everything. The two heads of business shook their heads side to side and chuckled. Lord Isles looked at the giant rancher and stated, "My daughter handles most of my business these days and very well I might add. And I can see that your daughter is just as headstrong and manages your business quite well."

Big Frank responded, "I knows wat yall mean."

The parlor door that connected it to the kitchen slowly opened and two maids carried silver trays with tea and cookies for the guests. Jane's stomach, which had not eaten in ten hours, announced it was time to eat. The older girl said, "I'm so sorry fer my stomach being so loud, but could I have some of that tea?"

So Maura playing the role of hostess pulled a cup of tea and asked the young Italian, "One lump or two?"

***SE***

Lord Frederick Isles had ordered a late dinner for his new friends. The former sea captain found he liked the brash and confident Rizzolis. Big Frank was so much like his former self; self-reliant, opportunistic and lucky. Like his former self, the big Italian has carved out himself a small empire. Had the man started with anything in the beginning, but his brains, the forceful rancher might own the State of Texas and not just a piece of it.

The English Lord had decided not to give the Rizzolis a loan, but an advance on future earnings. The family, especially that young savage, would never take any money from him that they felt they hadn't earned, but the aging nobleman felt he owed them.

Lord Isles was one of the richest men in the world and he had no doubt his daughter would expand on what he had started. The child was brilliant, capable and motivated. She was also lonely. Sure, the young noble girl had her admirers in Bridgette and Georgina, but they were more worshippers than true friends.

But this Rizzoli girl was no one to worship anyone other those for whom she would die to protect. The young Texan was tough, smart, self-reliant and ruthless in her love. The tall girl was a seasoned warrior and experienced in fighting for those she loved. The cagey Lord had spoken long into the night with the child's father and listened to his stories about her exploits. Tomorrow the aging Lord would investigate the authenticity of the tales. If half of the stories even remotely were verified, the former sea captain had plans for the half savage from Texas.

Lord Isles wanted more for his daughter, but ever the realist, the former sea captain knew that the world in which they lived was not a world that would kind to his brilliant daughter. Had Maura been a man, the world would be coming to her, but as a woman, they would discount or even shun her. The English Lord had no doubt his daughter would rather live alone than be shackled to some man, but then he had meant this wonderful family and wondered. The previously worried father had watched his normally stoic daughter talk with animation with the dark brunette and worried if the young savage was not the answer to his daughter's problems.

***SE***

Lady Isles had found that her new friend was going to the Inaugural wearing her beaded Indian garments. Though the English woman found them pleasing enough, new enough about society to know it would be embarrassing for the young woman. Upon the Lady's suggestion, the two young women were sitting in a dress shop with the older one being measured for a new gown and assessories.

"Y'all rally thin thissen necessary," asked the tall Texan for the tenth time in the last twenty minutes.

"Jane, trust me. I may not know how to kill buffalo, but I do know how these social events function. I know it is not your preferred form of dress, but I know you will not want to be embarrassed nor to embarrass your father," answered the young English noble, "Believe me when I say, I hate having to wear all these garments. I would much rather stay in my lounging wear reading the latest Dickens serial, but that is not our lot, now is it? You and I are not so different, you know. We both have family obligation that take precedence over our own desires."

Jane didn't have any formal schooling, but she had a fine mind and her mother had ensured that she have an excellent reading vocabulary. Though her speech was unrefined, her knowledge of the English language was extensive. The tough Texan had been an avid reader and had no trouble following the other girl's conversation. Jane responded, "Maura, y'all sounds so purdy when youse talks. I knows wat y'all sayin is gospel, but dat don't mean I likes it."

The Lady Isles loved that the young Texan was not fawning all over her title and felt comfortable enough with her to call her Maura. It was so tiring to hear the ladyship this and the ladyship that. No one treated her like Maura, except her parents and this young lady. Though her speak spoke of a poor education, their long discussions last night proved the tough brunette was well read and thoughtful, so the young noblewoman said, "Nor do I, Jane. I do find your lexicon so quaint and charming. I know you are not some country bumpkin coming to the big city to sell your cattle. I have talked to you at length and know you have a fine mind Jane Rizzoli. You really should strive to speak more eloquently so that people do not underrate your intelligence."

Jane laughed as she said, "Maura, from where I come. if you speak like we are speaking now I would confuse everyone. I know how to speak like they do in books, but I speak like they do. Do you not see, we have to speak like those around us?"

Maura was very pleased to hear the intelligent young woman speak so eloquently. The young noblewoman could see that the Texan could learn much from just reading, which meant with the proper educational environment the young woman could learn anything. What a friend this girl would be someone with whom she could discuss any topic and have a person of equal understanding. Yes, Jane Rizzoli shows great promise, but why was she thinking of having a long term relationship with someone that would living in a few days and never see again?

Maura was about to explore the extent of the wild Texan's knowledge, when Georgina entered the study and explained, "I'm sorry, your Ladyship, but Sophia has sent me to find you for a final fitting of your gown for the Inaugural. She has sent you messages all day and you have not answered her.

The young English noblewoman was upset; she was just getting to know the older Texan. However, the blonde Lady had a duty to her father and this dress would reflect upon him. So reluctantly, Maura answered, "Tell Sophia I am coming. Jane, would you come with me so we can continue our conversation. I just have to have this final fitting completed."

Jane shrugged her shoulders and asked, "How far do we have to go? Father is going to wanting to leave soon. We still haven't registered at the hotel."

Maura smiled brightly and replied, "Silly girl, you are staying here. You heard my father extend an invitation to stay with us. Furthermore, I would not hear of you staying elsewhere, when we can pass the hours talking about…everything."

Jane didn't want to hurt the lovely blonde's feelings, but the Texan was very independent and didn't like being indebted to other people for anything. The tall brunette started to tell the young blonde that she didn't think it was right to stay in her home, but then she looked at the expectation and longing in those hazel green eyes and swallowed what she was about to say and said instead, "Sure I'll go with you. Do we ride or take the carriage?"

Maura patted the older girl's hands and replied, "You are a funny girl. Sophia is my personal dressmaker. She lives right here in the servant quarters. Her shop is a little off her personal quarters. I have to have a personal dressmaker, because I never wear the same dress twice."

Jane was shocked to hear about such waste and asked, "You mean to say, you only wear a dress once! What happens to the dress after you wear it?"

Maura took her friend's hand and pulled her from her chair and said, "Mostly I give them to our staff."

The wily Texan then stated, "We use up everything where I come from. For instance, when we kill games we take the hide to make leather, the hooves to make glue, the bones for burning, the meat for food, the intestines and stomach for storing things like the fat from that game. Nothing is ever wasted."

The two girls entered the workroom and there was a beautiful green silk gown with golden trim and a sash of rank across it. Jane had never seen such a gown and said, "It's magnificent."

An older woman with round hips from obvious childbirths said, "I'm glad you approve. You must be Jane, the girl who stopped the cutpurse. I'm Sophia."

Maura pouted a bit and said, "I was going to introduce you Sophia. You did not give me a fair chance."

The aging seamstress ignored the young child and ordered the noble child, "Put on the gown Maura and let's see what alterations are needed."

With the help of the brunette that found Maura, the lovely blonde stripped out of her evening dress and stood waiting while Sophia took several measurements. Maura to fill the gap in their conversation asked, "So what gown are you wearing, Jane?"

Jane thought for a moment. Should she tell this elegant young woman, she was planning on wearing her new calico dress that her mother and she made before they left Texas. No telling was the same as lying as far as the tall Texan was concerned and Jane Rizzoli always kept her word and never lied. So the young girl replied shyly, "Ma'am, I rightly dint bring no gown. I has a new calico dress me and my maw made before I left Texas. It's really the best dress I ever owned."

The young heiress was shocked by this admission and thought about for only a moment. This young lady had done her a great service and asked for nothing in return. The lovely brunette had given her friendship without any reservation or thought of a return. The least the honey blonde could do was to have a gown commissioned. Turning to Sophie the wealthy young lady said, "Sophie, Miss Rizzoli needs a gown. Please see to it."

***SE***

The winter of 1848-49 had been one of the worst in recent memory. The day of the Inaugural was worst than most. The snow came down in sheets blanketing Washington in a bed of white.

General Zachary Taylor was a man of the Deep South and not used to such inclement weather. The President-Elect rode in an open carriage without a heavy overcoat. It was one of those errors that are life-altering.

Following the swearing in ceremony on the Capitol steps by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Roger B. Taney, the newly installed President of the United States had a rowdy Inaugural Ball. Many of the former general's troops drank heavily and fired their weapons into the air.

The Isle-Rizzoli party arrived fashionably late. Two beautiful young ladies in fabulous gowns were escorted by their respective fathers. Jane had never worn so many undergarments. Between the hooped skirt and the eight petticoats, the wild Texan felt trapped.

Never a very trusting person, the tall brunette had a Le Mat in her handbag and another strapped to her leg. Additionally, the tough Italian carried a pepper pot up her sleeve and an Arkansas toothpick hidden in her corset. Life in the wild country made everyone cautious.

The Isles party was announced first, "The Lord and Lady Isles of Great Britain, Ireland and the United Kingdom."

Following their announcement the father and daughter made their way down the greeting line to present their congratulations to the new President. The First Lady greeted the nearly eleven year old honey blonde, "What a lovely gown, my child! And such magnificent amber eyes, you are growing into such a lovely young woman."

The well educated young lady curtsied properly for a Lady of her station to the new First Lady of a less than friendly weaker nation than her own, as she replied, "Why thank you. You are so kind. If it is at all possible I would love to have a private conversation with you about my dressmaker. I am sure you would love to meet her and discuss her thoughts on fashion."

This was political speak for, "_Let us talk privately about politics in private so that we may properly influence each other, so that we may manipulate our men in the correct manner_."

President Taylor for his part heard this conversation and knew from his advisors that the young Lady Isles was a very powerful ally or enemy in dealing with her father. He had been told had this child been a boy, the lovely young noblewoman would be a power in England. As it was, this little Lady was rich and influential and the newly elected leader of the United States could use some influence with Queen Victoria right now. Hence he commented, "That is a wonderful idea. My dear, why don't you arrange a tea to get together tomorrow or the following day?"

Mrs. Taylor smiled brightly and replied, "My schedule is free tomorrow say around three?"

The intelligent and gifted not quite eleven year old politician and financier responded, "Why thank you that would be lovely. Could I bring my friend Jane Rizzoli, she is such an interesting person I am positive you will want to talk with her?"

The new President recalled the outspoken and savvy brunette from Texas and beamed as he interjected, "Darling, you would find her fascinating. She's that girl from Texas I told you about. You know the one that ran Captain? I forget his name off her property while her father was away."

The somewhat dowdy First Lady answered, "Oh, I remember. You most certainly may bring your friend."

At that moment, the announcer proclaimed, "Francisco Rizzoli and his daughter Jane."

***SE***

The two girls, though only nearly eleven and nearly thirteen, were the belles of the ball. Everyone knew of the wealth and power of the Isles family and was eager to meet and possibly court the lovely young heiress in hopes of maybe sweeping all that money off her feet. Maura who was experienced in such things being from a much more suffocated society was hardly swayed by any of the male suitors. The young aristocrat was much more interested in watching the young Texan's reaction to every new experience with which the lovely brunette was introduced.

The two young women were asked to dance constantly. Jane used to only informal dances at a church or in a barn tended to shy away from anything more complicated than a waltz. While her honey blonde friend danced with abandon to almost every tune. Maura happily showed her young protégé every dance step she knew.

Until the Virginia reel was announced. The American folk dance was one with which the brash Texan was very familiar and not one with which the young English noblewomen had ever seen. So it was Jane's turn to instruct her lovely friend. The two young women danced the Reel together with Jane showing her friend each step.

In need of a break, Maura asked her dance partner to accompany her to the powder room. Jane happily accepted, as she also needed visit the outhouse. To her surprise, the inexperienced Texan found out the toilet area was inside the house. The White House had the latest in indoor plumbing. The insightful Italian vowed the Rizzoli house would have indoor plumbing upon their return.

It was on their from the Lady's powder room that the two young women encountered difficulty.

***SE***

Several former soldiers besotted by rum and looking for trouble saw the two beautiful young women leave the party area. The rowdy men followed them with no particular plan in mind. Normally, the Lady Isles would be accompanied by a bodyguard. However, in the home of the President of the United States, the Isles had felt no need for such protection.

By the time the two young women were leaving the powder room, five rowdy men had formed their own greeting line. Born to trouble, Jane recognized it as a long lost friend. Slipping the pepper box into one palm and her toothpick in the other, the wily Texan fighter readied herself for a brawl. The experienced warrior had no intention of allowing these ruffians to harm her new friend in any way.

For her part Maura recognized the problem as well. Her only weapons were her wits and her ability to talk. The honey blonde noble was about to engage the rowdies in conversation, when Jane pulled the young English woman behind her. Jane smiled and said, "Can I hep y'all?"

The obvious leader of the group bared her yellow gapped teeth and replied, "Why sure you can little lady! We want to party and you two are the brightest fillies at this here shindig."

Four of the young tuffs pulled knives and the other two clinched their fists. Never one to talk when action was necessary, Jane fired her pepper box in the face of gap tooth. She saw brains. With a continuing motion the experience fighter buried her toothpick in the next nearest man's throat with a smooth practiced underhand toss.

Taking advantage of the shock in the other three men's faces, the veteran Indian fighter pulled her Le Mat from her bag and pointed it fully cocked in the next nearest man's face. The hard bitten killer's hand never wavered as she said, "Now, why don't you boys go back to yourn holes afore I get mad."

At that moment, United States soldiers in formal uniforms arrived with their muskets and bayonets. But the three would be ruffians had only eyes for the Le Mat staring them in the face. The nearest lad swallowed hard and dropped his knife before raising his hands in surrender.

Big Frank and Lord Isles were close on the heels of the arriving soldiers, followed closely by the new President. The last thing Zach Taylor needed or wanted was an incident at his Inaugural involving the Isles girl.

The sergeant of arms announced, "Everyone stand down. Please, Miss put down your weapon."

The angry Texan replied as she uncocked her pistol, "Where were y'all when we needed cha?"

The veteran soldier proclaimed, "I'll take that weapon. There are no weapons allowed."

Unfazed, the tough plainswoman responded, "Mister, iffin I waited for yourn permission and yourn protection, Miss Isles and myself would be entertaining these hooligans right now. So, iffin y'all don't mind, I'll keep my weepons."

The well groomed soldier was about to make issue, when the President intervened, "Sergeant had the young woman wanted to harm me, she would have done so already, as can be seen by the fate of the two rowdies on bleeding on the White House floor. See that these vermin are removed from the premises and lock these other three away."

The soldiers eyed the young woman, who just smirked as she put her Le Mat in her purse. The tough Texan walked over to the man with her knife in his throat and yanked it out. After wiping the blood from the knife on the dead man's clothes, the veteran fighter sheathed the deadly blade in its hiding place.

With a half smile and an experienced hand, the experienced Indian fighter took the time to reload the six barrels of her pepper box before returning it to its original location. The former general and long time soldier smiled broadly at the audacity and practicality of the lovely brunette and announced, "Well, let's get back to the party and Sergeant place a sentry in this hallway, we don't need another incident."

The tall politician sniffled a bit as he patted Big Frank on his back while saying, "Frank, you got some girl there. I ain't ever seen her like."

Lord Isles caught the eyes of his daughter's protector and nodded his thanks. Additionally, the English Lord made a mental note to talk with Frank Rizzoli about his daughter staying a little longer in Washington. The wealthy businessman recognized talent when he saw it. The only catch was how to use that talent to his advantage.

***SE***

The next day, the newspapers were abuzz with the story of how a young woman from Texas had fought off a mob of ruffians at the Inaugural Ball of the President of the United States. The articles called for swift justice for the imprisoned thugs, so as to remove the stain of the international incident.

Frederick Isles was reading the articles in the three newspapers before him when Big Frank Rizzoli came down the staircase for breakfast. The two young women had yet to make an appearance. They were busily in their baths getting ready for a full day of social commitments culminating in tea at the White House. The importance of that informal meeting had taken on new significance after last evening's incident.

Lord Isles handed one of the papers to his house guest, who sat down and immediately began reading the heroics of his fighting daughter. Not for the first time, the tall rancher had wished his daughter could have been raised more genteelly. Her youth had been formed by the hard wilderness and the fact she had been his only child for so many years.

After the dark haired Italian was seated, breakfast was served the two men. Frederick Isles had a breakfast of poached eggs and Polish sausage. His digestion hadn't been that good lately, but the English Lord loved his sausage and eggs. The diet of sausage was a habit formed in his days as a sea captain.

Aboard ship long voyages had the problem of food storage. Without refrigeration, salt and brine were the common means of storage. Sausages were easily preserved with salt or pickled in brine, so they made excellent fare for sea captains who could more easily afford such luxuries than other ship's officers or the crew.

Eggs were another staple of the Captain's table, since they could be transported via chicken. A sea captain would have a few hens and a rooster, which were feed the weevils that would inevitably end up in the ship's flour and bread supply, and presto instant eggs. The habits developed in your youth are the habits practiced in your dotage.

Big Frank was eating a stack of pancakes with maple syrup and served with thick slabs of bacon. His diet was also the result of the limitations of his profession. Living on the trail for most of his adult life had limited his diet to what could carried on a chuck wagon or mostly what could be carried in a saddle bag. The ingredients for pancakes were flour, yeast, eggs, milk and sugar.

Every trail hand carried flour and sugar. Eggs were gathered from the local birds and milk was taken from the cows they herded. Bacon is salted and smoked pork, which was easy to transport in a saddle bag and because of the process that made it; it wouldn't spoil.

Jane was the next person down for breakfast. The tall Italian looked very stylish in a new dress just created by Madam Sophie. A plate of her favorite breakfast was placed before her. Again, it was a trail dish common among cowhands. It was trail toast. On the trail bread had the extraordinary bad habit of going stale after only a couple of days. Many cowboys would soak the bread in a mixture of egg, sugar and milk then fry it in bacon grease and cover it with sugar. Hence the name trail toast.

Years later a small hotel restaurant in Dodge City would put it on it their menu. In order to give it a more exotic name and because of the fad of French cuisine at the time, they called it French toast.

The chef for the Isles refused to use bacon grease. He used olive oil and poured maple syrup and melted butter over the top.

Young Lady Isles had always eaten lightly at breakfast, usually having only buttered toast and tea. However, the brash young Texans had influenced the honey blonde noblewoman to try the concoction and now it was the young heiress's preferred breakfast.

Lord Isles looked on with approval at the influence the tough young westerner had on his somewhat sheltered daughter and became more determined to keep the young brunette around to continue her influence if only for another couple of months.

***SE***

All those plans changed that morning. Shortly after young Maura came down to breakfast, her father's indigestion started acting up again. Suddenly, the elder sea captain had a chest spasm and he clutched his breast. The older gentleman had trouble breathing. Acting quickly, Big Frank lowered the large nobleman to the floor and loosened his shirt and tie to unrestrict his breathing.

Fearing the worst, Maura ordered the servants to go get a doctor. After the doctor examined the former sea captain, it was determined that he had had a heart attack as complication of his malaria. Lady Isles made arrangements to leave on the next boat back to England, which was the next evening.

The young noblewoman sent her regrets to the White House. The two Texans decided to see the young heiress to her ship and then return home. The new friends sat up the night talking about their lives and their future. After insuring the young woman and her father were safely at sea, Frank and Jane caught the evening train west to New Orleans.

***SE***

Lord Fredrick Isles died of pneumonia from complication of malaria on October 16, 1850. He was 69 years old. Lady Maura Isles, though his only heir, was only 12. Her father named Lady Constance, her regent until her 18th birthday. However, should she marry, her husband would inherit the title.

Lady Constance could hardly run her household much less the wide ranging businesses of Isles Trading and Shipping. However, the young widow had every faith in her young daughter to guide her through this tedious regency.

Today the newly appointed regent was wearing her widow's black trimmed in gray to the meeting of the managers of the various businesses of Isles Trading and Shipping. Behind the Lady Constance stood her daughter, also dressed in black with green trim, her father always looked her in green. The two Ladies bodyguards stood menacing by the only door into the large conference room.

It had taken Maura nearly six months to arrange for all managers from all their holdings throughout the world on five continents to be present. Now, here sat the fourteen regional managers, thirty-two district managers and seventy-five operation managers of Isles Trading and Shipping. They were all glum looking men and many of the regional managers expected to take over the operation of the company. Those men had never met the young heiress.

Henry came into the room and placed a document in front of each man. The documents looked very official and had a very impressive seal with a bright gold ribbon and in red wax. Each document had a name on the document corresponding to the man it was given it. Suddenly, as each read the document, a loud clamor took place with several of the men shouting at the two women. Lady Constance was starting to feel threatened, when twenty large men dressed in uniforms and burnishing large clubs burst into the conference room.

Standing directors were forcefully pushed back into their seats by the club wielding guards. The younger Lady placed a calming hand on her mother's shoulder and said quietly, "Are you gentlemen or common rabble? You are disturbing my mother, who has just buried her husband. I will not have it. You will stay still and listen or I will exercise those documents and have you forcefully removed. Do I make myself clear?"

When no one answered the young girl, she looked to Hugh, and he shouted, "Well, answer her you gits or I will personally have your guts for garters."

The beautiful blonde rewarded her bodyguard with a smile. Sweat broke out on several brows, but all of them answered yes in various forms.

Maura squeezed her mother's shoulder to inform her it was time to read her prepared remarks. The nervous woman cleared her throat and said, "Gentlemen before you are termination notices. Effective immediately, you are no longer an employee of Isles Trading and Shipping. You will be given one month's salary in lieu of notice. You will receive these moneys in exchange for the signed notices before you."

On cue Henry entered the room with a cash box, which he arranged at a desk next to the door. The statuesque brunette with fewer nerves continued, "You may reapply for a position at our offices across town. You will be given every consideration. Upon leaving your post an interim manager was appointed in your place. Those interim managers have been performing in your position since that time. We are not a stock company and have full rights and power as sole proprietors to terminate any employee. Many of you thought that with the death of my husband, you would be given full powers over you individual domains. Well, gentlemen, those powers belong to me through my daughter, the rightful heir. Good day and good luck."

The Lady Constance rose like Venus from the Sea and walked to the door. Several men tried in vain to intercept her, but only pushed back into their seats. The young heiress had not followed her mother out the door, she had a few more choice remarks, "Gentlemen, you can sign that document or you can sign the document that my assistance has readied at his desk. The second document is an employment contract for your old position at the same salary. However, the second document has a clause that states should you attempt any disruption of the management of the company by myself or my mother; then your situation will be terminated. So, your choices are: Sign document one and receive one month's severance or sign document two and go back to status quo. Now, if you will excuse me I have an appointment with the Queen in three days and must make my way to London. Henry, take care of these gentlemen and met me at the manor in Notting Hill."

Hugh opened the door and the new head of Isles Trading and Shipping left the conference room.

***SE***

Lady Constance wasn't quite sure why it had been necessary to fire all the managers, but Maura assured her it was the best way for two women to exert their authority over dozens of superior feeling males. Her daughter was brilliant and savvy, but she was a female in a male dominated society. The stunningly beautiful woman knew that this spelled a very difficult life for someone like her little girl.

The young girl was becoming a young woman and at the age of thirteen, the intelligent blonde was showing all the signs of becoming a truly beautiful woman. One day the Lady Maura Isles will marry and the title and power would go to her husband. And deep in her soul the mother in her knew that her genius of a daughter would wither and die under such restraints.

The Lady Constance had no such worries. She would never marry nor take court from another man. Her heart belonged to her Gina. The statuesque brunette had come to know herself the past seven years and knew she was a lesbian, an uncompromising sophist. She had no illusions that anyone would understand or accept her choice, but she could have happiness with discretion. Her Maura would neither find happiness nor love, because the child knew no discretion, had no tact, nor could she ever love or be happy under another's yoke.

Society was cruel to woman. We had a Queen, but what was she doing for the other women dominated by the men in this society. Could we vote? Could we hold office? Even if Maura fails to marry and keep her title, she would never be welcome in the House of Lords. The brilliant and dazzling intelligent young woman was still just that a woman and therefore not to trusted with anything other than running a household for her husband and Lord.

Life was not fair. Life was cruel. Life had given her honey blonde daughter so many gifts. She was intelligent, thoughtful, kind, generous, beautiful and honest. But other than her beauty, weren't these cruel gifts to give a woman. The honesty, generosity, kindness and thoughtfulness will be beaten out of the child in the adult world. Her intelligence will be scorned and minimized.

Yes, it was definitely a very, very cruel world. And it is cruelest to the ones that have the most to offer it. Those individuals who could do so much to change the complexion of the world are the first ones that the world seems to devour. The frightened mother had no sage advice or answer to give her child to protect her from what was going to come. All a mother can do is to be there to help heal the wounds that the world inflects on her children. The Lady Constance prayed for the strength to be that kind of mother.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: This chapter was quite complicated and difficult to write. With multiple characters going back and forth across the Atlantic, I had difficulty keeping track of who was where and when they were arriving and so forth. At one point, I completely dropped one character out of the story. So I had to go back and rewrite him into the proper place. Additionally, I had to modify some of the sections already written to account for his reemergence. So if you spot some inconsistency I missed, please tell me and I will correct it. Thank you. As always your comments are more than welcome.**

Chapter 6: Communication

Jane was not happy with leaving her friend with having to deal with her father's illness, but there was very little she could do. The tall Texan had given the young heiress her a way to get a letter to her, but a letter would have to cross the Atlantic by ship and then go Dallas by mule train, where it would wait for pick-up by one of the Rizzolis on one of their monthly trips to Dallas. All in all, a letter coming from England would take six months to deliver.

The reverse was true for Jane to send a letter to Maura. However, the always optimistic preteen sat down and wrote her new friend the moment they had a layover in New Orleans. The anxious brunette wrote a long eight page letter. Then, the young woman went to the docks to find a ship that would take it to England for her.

The docks of New Orleans were a wild and untamed place, full of cut throats, shanghiers and other hard and desperate men. The tough Texan had changed into her buckskins getting ready for the trail to West Texas. The tall brunette found a ship going to Dover. The not so trusting Texan made a point that she would need confirmation that her letter was properly delivered.

The hardened fighter pulled her toothpick and held it under the rough looking captain's chin and said, "Mister, I don't know y'all from Adam, but let me tell y'all sumtin 'bout me. I once laid in the high grass of Texas for two days just to get one shot at an Injun that done me oh-fense. Iffin y'all don't get that there letter to my friend, I will know 'bout it and then I will come huntin' scalp. Do I make myself knowed?"

The tough sea captain knew a hardened killer from just a loud mouth and he saw in this young woman's eyes something to fear. He saw a young lady who had faced death and laughed, a young lady who had killed on more than one occasion. So, the veteran brawler swallowed hard and replied, "Miss, iffin I takes ya money, I does the job."

So Jane gave the man a five dollar gold piece and instructions on how to get the letter to her friend. The tall Texan also gave the man a promise, "Iffin, y'all make this delivery find the new offices of Rizzoli sugar and y'all get another gold piece just like her. I'll also give y'all more business."

The experienced sea captain saw a business opportunity when he saw one and quickly agreed to the arrangement. Satisfied that she had done everything she could to get her letter to her English friend, the wild-hearted Texas said her farewells and left the ship and headed to their hotel.

On her way home, the buckskin clad fighter encountered a three drunken sailors going back to their ship after a night on the town. The three seamen saw the unaccompanied teenager and thought they saw an easy target. The three drunkards staggered up to the tall lovely brunette and said, "What ya doin' out alone? I'm thinkin' ya need company."

The veteran fighter took a deep breath knowing there was no avoiding his confrontation. So, the experienced warrior did what came naturally, the tall brunette drew her Le Mat and clubbed the nearest sailor with its barrel. The half sober seaman dropped to the ground unconscious. The other two sots stared in total confusion at the gun pointed at them. The weary combatant sighed, "Just take y'all friend and go afore I get riled."

The two men sobered quickly and realized that the easy mark was a predator of the most dangerous kind. So they grabbed their unconscious partner under his armpits and dragged him away. The beautiful Italian teenager smiled at the image of her friend that danced lightly in her head and walked away thinking of how much she missed the young honey blonde, who she had only met a couple of weeks earlier.

***SE***

Once the Isles party was on board one of the vessels of Isles Shipping, the ship's captain ordered his craft to sea. Maura hurried her father into one of the passenger cabins and saw that he was comfortable, before the honey blonde heiress went to her own stateroom.

Upon entering her stateroom, the young noblewoman ordered her maid to find her writing desk. Maura then wrote four letters. The first was a letter to the Isles Sugar Company offices in New Orleans detailing her father's arrangement with Frank Rizzoli. The second was a letter to the Isles Bank in New Orleans directing a letter of credit for the Rizzoli family under the terms for which the two parties agreed. The third letter was to her buying agent in Texas outlining the Rizzoli deal and instructing the man to establish some sort of communication in order to coordinate the manufacturing of sugar and its eventual delivery.

The fourth letter was personal. In her letter to Jane, the honey blonde heiress told her teenaged friend about the letters she had written. The efficient businesswoman also told Jane how she would get the money from her bank. Then the English Lady told the tall Texan how her father was doing and how she feared he wouldn't recover. Finally the normally stoic pre-teen talked about her wants, desires and future outlook. When she had completed the letter, Maura sealed into an envelope and sent for her bodyguard and the ship's captain.

When the strict English sea captain arrived, the English noblewoman asked, "Captain Jones, it is my understanding we will come within hailing distance of one our ships on its way to Savannah, Georgia. Is that correct?"

The wily sea captain replied, "Yes Milady, we should be within proper hailing distance within the hour. Why, may I ask are you interested in such a thing?"

The lovely heiress chose to ignore the captain's question and not take offense. So, the intelligent young woman responded, "Captain, hail that ship and tell them that one of my servants will need to transfer to their ship."

See that the unfazed young woman would brook no disrespect, the cautious seaman answered, "Yes Milady. Is that all?"

The young noblewoman replied, "Yes. That's all I need for now."

After the middle aged seaman left Maura addressed her bodyguard, Hugh Jamieson, "Hugh, I need you to deliver my four letters to people to whom they are addressed and only those people. Then you are to wait for a reply from each letter. In the fifth envelope is one hundred pounds for expenses and a letter to my bank for additional funds should you require them. Hugh, this is very important to me both financially and personally."

The tall Welchman answered, "I'll get it done, Milady. You know I am your man now and forever. I'm just a little concerned about leaving you without protection for the remainder of this voyage."

The beautiful young Lady responded, "I will be careful. I am going to request the Captain to assign to me one of his lieutenants as my personal bodyguard. I will promise said officer a Captain's post upon my return to Swansea."

The savvy bodyguard knew men and smiled broadly, as he responded, "That's brilliant, Milady. Any ship's officer would kill for anyone who could get him his own ship. I'll get my gear and report to the Captain. I should be back in Swansea with your answer within the half year."

The engaging young heiress smiled her answer, "Thank you, Hugh. I have total faith in you. I cannot explain this, but I must be able to communicate with that wild-eyed Texan. I always felt so alone in this world, where men control everything and I had force my way in by stealth and cunning. However, this young woman command respect on her own merit and not only does she get it, but she expects it. Please, give the Captain my compliments and ask him for that officer."

The giant bodyguard left to perform his duty to the one person in the world that command his total devotion and the canny Welchman understood what the young woman had said more than she knew. He had watched her struggle over the years with finding her proper place in the world and he had witnessed the aura of the tall dark Texan. The experience fighter knew that in a battle with that Texan, he would lose. Not because she was strong or experienced, but because she was ruthless and she knew that the only way to win was to do what was necessary to win. The savvy bodyguard knew one more thing his young charge was in love and didn't even know it.

***SE***

Six weeks later, a very large Welchman was riding up to the main house of the Rizzoli ranch. Jane took her Sharps from it rank and went out to greet the hard looking stranger. The man had the look of a soldier and not a cowhand. However, there was something familiar about him. The shrewd Texan had a good memory for faces, but the beard and clothing was out of place for this man and she was having difficulty placing him.

The dark man smiled disarmingly as he approached her and said, "I don't know if ya remember me, but I remember you in a cream colored gown with gold trim and wide hoops. I work for Lady Maura."

Recognition shone on her face as the lovely brunette recalled the tall quiet bodyguard, who was always there, but never really noticed. Yet, years of living on her wits and never missing anything in her environment had made his threat very noticeable to experienced Indian fighter. Nonetheless, he had come from Maura and she wanted a letter or message from her desperately, so she responded, "I remember. Y'all were her bodyguard. Has she sent me a message?"

The cagy man could see the excitement in the young woman's manner and knew that his Lady's feelings were returned by this dark warrior. The insightful Welchman said, "I have more than a message. I have a letter from Milady and instructions to await a reply. Additionally I have a letter for ya from Mr. Conrad, Milady's buying agent in Austin. He's established a mail drop for ya. The managers of Isles Shipping in New Orleans have explicit instructions to assist you or a member of your family in any manner, unless it does damage to the company. Mr. Conrad is also awaiting your sugar deliveries. He understands that it will probably be months before you are full production, but with so many farmers converting from sugar to cotton, he is having difficulties keeping up with demand."

He anxious teenager franticly wanted that letter, but held her excitement as she offered, "Well, lit and set. We have food and coffee ready at all times, just in case we have some company. Come with me into the kitchen and meet my Maw."

The giant messenger dismounted his horse and removed two large envelopes from his saddle bags. The big Welchman handed the envelopes to the obviously desperate teenager. The ex-soldier kindly suggested, "Why don't ya read ya letter and answer it. I'll make sure it gets back to Milady. I wont ya to know Lady Maura wrote that letter the moment she was in her cabin that night we left Washington. She dint wont to leave. She had looked forward to spendin' time witcha. One more thing, Milady is very dear to me, iffin ya hurt her, I will do anything in my power to hurt ya."

The hardened teenager smirked at the threat. The veteran Indian fighter had heard them before and filed it away in the back of her mind. How could this man think for a minute she would do anything to endanger Maura? The thought of the young honey blonde hurt or in danger made her heart stop beating. So the experience warrior ignored the threat and said, "Follow me to the kitchen. By the way, I've been hurt by experts and they never hurt anybody else after that."

The two warriors entered the kitchen, where Angela had a stew simmering and two pies in the oven. Jane, though a bit distracted by the letters burning a hole in hands, told her mother, "This is Hugh… I'm sorry I don't know your sir name. He were Maura's bodyguard. He's brung me a letter from her. I thought you could feed him fer me, while I read and answer this here letter."

The loving mother had never seen her daughter so excited about anything in the young woman's entire life. Her daughter was such a self-contained, self-confident loner that Angela had thought that no one could induce such a strong reaction from her stoic teenager. So, the smiling Italian replied, "Of course, Dear. Y'all go and read y'all's letter and I'll take keer of ya friend, Mr…."

The large messenger smiled, "Jamieson, ma'am. My name is Hugh Jamieson, I would be proud iffin ya could call me Hugh."

***SE***

Jane sprinted to her room and spent the better part of three hours reading her letter and writing its response. The excited teenager started out by telling her business partner how they had almost finished the mill, which they had began construction, the minute they arrive home two weeks earlier. They had started planting beets, but wouldn't have their own crops for several months. Therefore, her pa was out buying every sugar beet and stalk of sugar cane he could find in the area.

The wily teen told her friend how the first load of sugar would follow this letter by only a couple of days. Then the lonely Italian wrote about the hills and plains of West Texas and the feel of the land, the sun and the wind. Next the wild Texan wrote about her friends, the Comanche and her fears of their safety. After that the quiet hunter wrote about her loneliness and isolation. The young woman scribed about how she was so different that people shied away from her out of fear and hatred of those who are different. People respected her, but they didn't want to socialize with her.

Jane told Maura about her hopes and dreams and how the young teenager planned on having her own ranch, where the brilliant horsewoman would raise the finest cowponies in the world. All in all, the letter took up twenty-one pages and would have been longed, except the young Texan ran out of paper.

The smiling young cowgirl folded the letter with reverence and placed it into a large envelope that could barely contain the long, heart-felt letter. After sealing the envelope, the sentimental teenager ran down the stairs to give Hugh her response. The wild Texan had Maura's letter tucked lovingly in her pocket, so she could read it anytime she wanted.

***SE***

Eight weeks after Jane handed Hugh her response, a tough looking sea captain arrived in Swansea. The rugged sailor had no difficulty in finding the manor of Lady Maura Isles. He walked up to the main gate and told the guard he had a letter for Lady Maura from Jane Rizzoli. The guard sent a runner to the main house. Shortly after, a well-dressed young woman arrived at the gate and announced, "I am Lady Maura's personal maid. She wishes you to describe Miss Rizzoli."

The brash captain would never forget the face of the girl who held a knife to his throat. So he replied, "She's tall with black hair and brown eyes and a look that tells you to be afraid. I'll tell ya this, lass, she put a knife to my throat and told me iffin I dint get this here letter to ye, miss, I might as well cut my own gizzards."

The young maid ran off with the description and returned moments later as she said, "Let him in and accompany him to the main parlor. Captain, you will accompany this man and refreshments will be awaiting you there. Don't try to go anywhere other than where you are told. Milady wants nothing to happen to you."

***SE***

Lady Maura Isles was sitting in the parlor anxiously fidgeting. Her two longtime friends and maids had never seen her so excited before this day. Obviously Jane Rizzoli had left quite the impression on the young heiress.

Bridgette and Georgina had heard about the heroism of the wild American from the savage land of Texas, but they hadn't believed all the stories until they read the newspaper clippings in their Lady's new memory book. Now, Georgina had come back with the tales of this sea captain who had had the fear of God or rather the fear of Jane Rizzoli instilled in him.

The aging seaman bowed stiffly to the daughter of a legend among his kind. Every ship's captain dreamed of doing what Captain Frederick Isles had accomplished in his lifetime. It was rumored along the docks of Swansea that the great Lord was ill and the child that sat nervously before him would inherit his title and goods, though her mother would stand as regent for several years. Therefore, the smart captain wanted to make a good impression on a possible source of great wealth.

He had heard the young woman was a brilliant businesswoman and a ruthless and formidable opponent. He wondered why the young noblewoman seemed so agitated. He wondered why the powerful young Lady seemed so anxious. Could his letter be of such importance? Any thoughts of withholding the letter in order to gain some benefit were quickly discard, fearing the eyes that held his death more than his greed, the sailor took the letter from his sea bag and presented it to the eager Lady.

Bridgette stepped forward and took the letter from the old man's hand and gave it to her Lady. For the first time the lovely honey blonde spoke, "Take this man to the kitchen and see he is well fed. Then take him to the servant quarters and have him bathe and rested. I will wish to talk with him in four hours."

The slightly confused seaman was led from the room. However, before he left the room, he witnessed the fine Lady tear open his letter with such glee.

***SE***

The honey blonde beauty read her letter with a huge smile on her face. Her eyes darted along the pages as the enraptured preteen absorbed every word. When the beautiful Lady read 'Your friend forever, Jane' she cried. It was at that moment the worldlier Georgina knew her Lady was in love. The teenager looked to her sister and could see the same conclusion in her eyes.

Their Lady ordered her writing desk and spent the next three hours writing a twenty-seven page manuscript of everything that came into her head. The blonde Ladyship was signing her masterpiece when the Captain was escorted into the parlor. The servants removed her writing desk as she placed the perfumed pages into three scented envelopes.

Her two maids and childhood friends were at a loss of how to feel about the wild American they had never met. Obviously their Ladyship was mesmerized by this fierce Texan and the two young women knew that absolutely nothing could come of this relationship. The Lady's mother was having an ongoing tryst with their mother, but Lady Constance was already married to a man. Someone in Lady Maura's social position had to marry and marry well.

The two friends knew that there would be tremendous pressure on their lovely charge to marry well for the good of the estate as soon as the Lordship passed. What they didn't know was Lady Maura Isles had no intention in every marrying anyone, so as to keep power over her estates and her own person. Any man she married would become her master and in charge of her estate and title, which went against her independent nature.

Another tough looking seaman was escorted into the parlor by two of the Lady's guards. At which point, the brilliant young noblewoman ordered, "You will take these letters to New Orleans, Captain... I'm so sorry for being so rude as not to inquire before this moment, but what is your name Captain?"

The somewhat bewildered Captain answered, "Prescott, Milady, Captain Jonathan Prescott."

The young noble smiled and continued, "Captain Barnes will take you on the evening tide. Once you have delivered these letters to my business offices in New Orleans, you will be given a ship to command and return here. Georgie go get the rosewood chest from my closet and the cherry wood jewelry case, please."

The young maid dashed off calling for the two large guards escorting Captain Barnes to accompany her. The honey blonde heiress continued, "You will take the chest and jewelry case to the very same offices. Should you fail to deliver them or should any item disappear for any reason, I will find you and have you boiled in vat of oil, slowly. Not to mention, Jane will find out about it and you know how she will react. I am not a person with which to be trifled, but Jane is a person of whom to be terrified."

Georgina entered the room carrying the jewelry box, while the two guards lugged in the hope chest. The pert maid asked, "Are you sure, you want to do this, Milady. There are thousands of pounds of jewelry and gowns in these chests."

The diminutive Lady became angry as she admonished her lifelong friend, "Georgina, do not ever doubt me again. I know full well what is in those chests. I packed them myself weeks ago. I had commissioned the gowns for Jane before I left Washington and had intended on gifting them to her there. The poor girl had never even owned a gown before I had one made for her for the inaugural ball. As for the jewelry, the woman saved my life and my virtue, a few older pieces of jewelry is small recompense for such service. I love you like a sister, but remember your station."

The older young woman has never heard her Lady assert her rank. The golden noblewoman had always gone to get lengths to make those of lesser station feel comfortable and at ease around her. Many time the two sisters felt their Lady should be more assertive, but they never expected to be the brunt of it.

The perplexed sea captain asked, "Could I possibly borrow a cart or wagon to carry these chests to the ship?"

Lady Maura ordered Captain Duncan, "Captain Duncan, have some of your men insure that these trunks make it aboard your ship. Captain Prescott you may accompany the chests or depend on Captain Duncan and your men. Please, remember however, these boxes are in your personal charge."

The still shaken sailor asked, "Milady, I already have a ship, why should I take this responsibility for a ship of yours?"

The confident young woman replied, "Bridgette, give him the purse."

The saucy French maid handed the shocked sea captain a leather purse, as Lady Maura remarked, "You will find one hundred gold sovereigns in that purse. That is one month's pay for one of my Captains. In addition, my captains receive ten percent of all profits from a voyage with a like share for their crew. Can your previous employer match that offer?"

The savvy seaman pocketed the heavy purse and replied, "I'll stay with the chests. I would hate for there to be any misunderstanding between us."

The young heiress smiled as she remarked, Good. I'm glad everything is satisfactory. Georgina and Bridgette, ready my bath, I must get ready for Sir Jasper's dinner party. It will be a dreadful affair, but with father unable to go, I must at least make an appearance.

With a wave of her hand, the young noblewoman dismissed them all. After everyone left her alone, the contented young maiden started rereading her letter.

***SE***

Jane Rizzoli took over the operation of the sugar mill and oversaw its production. Three months had passed since Hugh had delivered his letter. In that time Big Frank had returned with every sugar beet and stalk of sugar cane in West Texas. When her father arrived with twenty-seven wagon loads and told her more were being delivered to the mill, the tall Texan took over. The very next day, the energized brunette ramrodded the wagons to the mill.

For three long months, the hard-bitten fighter managed the sugar mill, gathering bags of sugar against her excuse for a trip to Austin. Finally with forty-two wagon loads of sugar and the salted beef and pork from there smokehouses, Jane was ready to go to Austin.

Not only had the dark warrior bank sugar against the trip, she had also banked letters. Each night the lonely teenager would write a letter to her friend. Each night, the obsessed teen would put the letter in an envelope and date it. In a sugar sack sat ninety-three of these letters. In that same period, her letter from Maura had been read to tatters. On the ninety–fourth morning, her wagon train was on the trail to Austin.

On each wagon was a Comanche lance, which told all the Comanche warriors the wagons belonged to a friend and were to be left alone. Some warriors approached the wagons out of curiosity and were rewarded with a small sack of salted beef and a small bag of sugar. Jane knew word would spread quickly and soon she would be inundated with curious Comanche. The Indian fighter didn't mind they were her friends and she would help them in any way she could.

***SE***

Joseph Conrad was excited about the line of freight wagons entering his warehouse area. For months the main office in New Orleans had been harassing him for sugar, beef, pork and other ship's stores and he had been unable to really make any significant delivery. Now he counted fifty-seven wagons and at their head was a tall lean raven haired teenage girl in buckskins, which could only be the infamous Jane Rizzoli.

The dangerous-looking Texan rode up to the middle-age slightly paunch man and asked, "Are you Mr. Conrad?"

The engaging man smiled and replied, "Why yes ma'am, I'm Joseph Conrad and you must be Miss Jane Rizzoli."

The lovely brunette's smile lit the morning as she responded, "Yes sir, that be me. Where y'all wont my wagons. I gots forty-two wagons of sugar. Each sugar wagon has fifty one-hundred pound sacks. I gots eleven wagons of salted beef with fourteen two-hundred pound barrels on each wagon and four wagons of salted pork with fourteen two-hundred pound barrels on each wagon."

The quick businessman did start filling out the tally sheet, "Let's see that's 21,000 pounds of sugar, 30,800 pounds of salted beef and 11,200 pounds of salted pork. That comes to $8,915."

The smart Italian had come up with the same tally in her head. The thrifty Texan would never waste good writing paper on something she could do in her head. Not wanting to take up too much time Jane asked, "Where do you want it?"

Mr. Conrad answered, "My men will show your men. Why don't you join me inside for coffee?"

The tall Texan dismounted with a smile and responded, "Why sure. I could use a cup. I also got some letters for Lady Isles."

The man nodded with a grin as he replied, "Why I expected as much. Why don't you give them to me."

The shy young woman handed the man her sack of letters to which the man asked, "How many are there?"

The blushing teenager shyly replied in a whisper, "114"

***SE***

The warm kitchen assaulted Jane's nose with the smell of fresh bread and hot coffee. The aroma of frying eggs and bacon sifted through the other odors. The jovial man buoyed by his latest windfall invited the young woman to breakfast; after all he had some business to discuss, "I don't have as many letters for you, but I do have on really long letter and two chests for you from Lady Maura."

The shocked young woman asked, "Chests?"

The happy buyer replied, "Yeah, one large chest of dresses and the like and one large ornate jewelry box with some rather nice jewelry in it."

The stunned warrior stammered, "I'm much obliged to Lady Maura, but what the hell am I gonna do with dresses and jewelry in West Texas. I know I should be wonting such frills, but there ain't many balls in West Texas."

The sympatric gentleman had a reply ready, "I thought that would be you initial reaction. However, in my opinion, these items were in hopes you would use them to travel and see Lady Maura in England. Her father is not doing very well and she cannot leave the country at this time. Should you ever choose to travel to Swansea, such a trousseau would be necessary."

On that thought, a smiled warmed the West Texan's face as she replied, "Thank you. By the way, I need my money in silver and gold, no paper. Papa hates paper."

***SE***

Hugh Jamieson arrived in Swansea two days after Jane Rizzoli arrived in Austin. His voyage had been a rough one, pirates and a hurricane had almost sunk his ship, but the ship's captain was a savvy and competent seaman and they had managed to escape.

In his breast pocket, a letter warmed his soul. He knew how much this letter meant to both the young women in the exchange. He had seen the light in his Lady's eyes when she had handed her letter for delivery and he had seen the excitement in the young Texan when she had handed her letter to him. They may not know it but these two young women were infatuated with each other.

In women so young, you couldn't really call it love, but the possibilities were there. In most men of his era such a tryst would be abhorrent and unnatural, but the hardened wounded man knew how love didn't know the boundaries of society. He had seen his mistress and her lover and how they healed each other's wounds.

Maura's bodyguard arrived at the front gate and was greeted like a long lost brother by the standing guards. It seemed that Lady Maura was becoming surly without any communication from the Texan in question. Lady Isles had not received any communication in months and was beginning to think the young Italian girl had stopped writing her. It seemed his letter was just in time.

The giant Welchman hurried down the path to the main house, where he heard raised voices coming from the main parlor. The anxious dark haired man could hear his Lady practically yelling, something he had never heard her do, "Georgie, you were so right, she wasn't worth the effort. She has absolutely forgotten me. How could I be such a fool?"

He heard the maid reply as he entered the front door, "Milady, we know nothing. There hasn't been enough time for your message to get to New Orleans and across Texas, much less there and back again. You don't know she has forgotten you. She thought enough of you to send you a letter the minute the opportunity availed itself. You mustn't despair. Hugh will return soon with a message."

The big man entered the room saying, "Hugh has arrived with a letter from the very person you are discussing. She just as anxious to hear from your ladyship as it seems you are from her. From the moment I handed her your letter to the moment she handed me this letter was three hours. She practically ran up to her room to read and answer your letter and did run down to give me her answer."

Hugh was smirking as he approached his Lady with the tall Texan's letter. Maura as calmly as she could muster took the letter. With precise movements, the honey blonde opened the letter and began to read it. A wide grin and slight chuckles accented her scanning of the letter with her hazel eyes.

When the young noblewoman looked up from her letter, she was greeted with her writing desk, which her maids had saw fit to retrieve. Maura smiled and asked, "Am I that predictable?"

Hugh answered for all those assembled, "Yes, when it comes to that wild Texan."

***SE***

Lord Fredrick was in bed again. His days out of bed now number fewer than those in bed. However, this was a meeting he could ill afford to miss. Patrick Doyle was waiting for him in the conservatory. Thus, he was forced to have his business associate meet in his bedroom.

Eight months had passed since the former sea captain's heart attack and he was getting weaker, not stronger. The formerly robust man was now haggard and thin. The great Lord knew he was dying. The brilliant strategist and businessman had hoped for more time to groom Maura, but now he knew he was out of it.

There was nothing Lord Isles could do but have Doyle contact his biological daughter and help her through the coming very trying years. Louis-Napoleon was quickly solidifying his power and would soon be causing all kinds of trouble in Europe and around the world. Doyle was coming back from a two year stay in Asia forestalling several plots launched by the ambitious Frenchman.

Patrick Doyle did not look the same. Much of his flaming hair was gone and the man's receding hairline was becoming quite pronounced. His eyes looked red and tired. It was obvious that the trip had taken a terrible tool on the vibrant Irishman.

The former sea captain sat up straight in his bed and greeted the man, "Good evening, Patrick."

The wary smuggler responded, "Good evening, your Lordship."

The great Lord couldn't help but notice the Irishman's harried condition, so he asked, "What is wrong, Patrick?"

Doyle replied, "The Assembly has played in Louis-Napoleon's hands. They passed a law that essentially limits the right to vote to nobility and land owners. Not to miss an opportunity like that Louis has gone about France ranting against the Assembly and their violation of universal male suffrage."

The ill man laughed a bit, but his cough prevented him from laughing too hard, as he said, "Maura predicted the Assembly would give Louis-Napoleon an excuse for a coupe by the end of 1851. We don't have much time. You are going to have to inform Maura of your real purpose and all information you have. I'm afraid I'm dying and she is going to have to take over."

The tough smuggler knew a dying man when he saw one. So he just nodded and left the sick Lord to his sleep.

***SE***

Patrick Doyle went straight from the Lordship's bedroom to the parlor to find his daughter. The lovely young woman was writing in a small book, probably some sort of diary when he entered the room. The young maid, who had led him here, announced, "Milady, Patrick Doyle, your father has sent this man to talk with you about business."

Another saucy maid about his daughter's age was sitting on one of the settees in the room sewing, while a large dark man stood between him and the young blonde. It had been several years since he had seen his child and he was amazed at how beautiful the shining heiress had become.

However, nice it would be to get to know her as his daughter, it was not an option. The young woman could never know her real origins; it was too fraught with danger. So, the tough Irishman said, "Milady, your father sends his regards and has ordered me to tell you of my business with him and to relate to you my information. However, I can only do such alone. I know it is unusual and improper. I can allow you to keep one other person in the room for you propriety and safety, but the information I have is very sensitive and not to be given without certain precautions."

The brilliant businesswoman knew that her father had had a special information source that was both profitable and precious to the Queen, this must be that source. However, this man looked to be very dangerous. Hence, the young heiress turned to her large bodyguard and said, "Hugh, I need you to stay. Georgie and Bridgette, I need you to wait outside by the door. Please inform mother that father has taken a turn for the worse and won't be recovering. Tell her I will meet her in father's room in an hour that I have important business with which to attend."

The two maids curtsied to their Lady and left the room, closing the door behind them. The dark balding man asked, "How did you know your father has taken a turn for the worst?"

The honey blonde preteen smiled and replied, "My father sent you to discuss with me his secret business, which means two things. One, you are his special source of information. I have been privy to the information over the years, but never their source. Two, for my father to have sent you to discuss this means he is feeling death and has been forced to share his secret source with me. I have always understood why this data source has never been revealed to me. The more people that share a secret, the less secure that secret are."

A smile betrayed the pride the dark man felt for the product of his union with his beloved Hope. This beautiful child was also very brilliant and intuitive. Thus the Irish spy was relieved that his new 'boss' was so competent, "My name is Patrick Doyle. I am a smuggler in France. As such, I am privy to a lot of information. People come to me for special deliveries, which enable me to uncover a lot of their secrets. One of my best customers is Charles de Morny, duke of Morny. As you may know, he is a very successful businessman and one of his ventures is in sugar beet production. However, with the restrictions of trade between France and England, the English market is legally closed to him. I am his go between into this market.

Your father had knowingly purchased all of the French sugar beets from Duke de Morny in exchange for Chinese silk and Indian tea, items which are difficult and costly for the French to obtain. Morny sells these items at fantastic mark ups.

This business arrangement allows me free access to many of Morny's people and as you know a lot of secrets can be gathered from the servants within any household. For instance, I have heard from several sources in your household about your infatuation with a young Texas woman named Jane Rizzoli. It is said among your servants that you had a sexual relationship with the woman, like your mother is having such a sexual relationship with your two young maid's mother."

The canny spy let that information sink in, but he didn't have to wait long for a reaction. The young heiress glanced at her bodyguard who nodded. The dark Irishman had no idea what was going to happen, but this rumor was going to be stopped. The savvy smuggler knew that Lady Maura was going to have to marry soon for the sake of her empire and that meant such rumors could not exist. The young woman smiled and said, "Miss Rizzoli is merely a very good friend, whom I met in Washington at the Presidential augural. I am in constant communication with her, because we share common problems. You see, we are both independent young women trying to succeed in a man's world."

The engaging manner of the young woman was extraordinary, so Doyle continued, "I need to tell you a few things about what is going on in France."

The young woman interrupted, "Hugh, put your head out the door and tell Georgie to bring some refreshments. I would like tea and Mr. Doyle likes Madera. Have Georgie get those lovely cakes that Martha was saving for the lady's luncheon tomorrow, she can always bake more. Now, Mr. Doyle let me interrupt you for a moment. I already know about the Assembly's stupid move on limiting the male suffrage. I have my sources as well. Louis is using this attack on voting as a speaking point to incite the military and the itinerant male population. He is setting up his coup d'état. So, is there something else?"

Patrick Doyle was very impressed. It was obvious this young woman was a spider and her webs were being spin in abundance. The dark man smiled as he continued, "Morny and Fialin have been securing the support of the Army. Additionally, Harriet Howard has been siphoning money into the right places. The idea is a swift coup and to make Louis dictator."

The young woman nodded, as if this information only confirmed what she already suspected. Patrick Doyle knew this young woman was a dangerous player in the high stakes of foreign politics. The young honey blonde said, "The only thing we can do right now is delay the inevitable. You need to return to France and try to counter some Howard's money with some of mine. I think we can delay this until next year, but by the middle to end of 1851, Louis-Napoleon, will be dictator of France and that means an unstable Europe.

Thank you, Mr. Doyle. I hope you will join me for tea. Hugh, this man is to have access to me instantly day or night. Any correspondence must be sent to me using Jane Rizzoli as the correspondent. What funds do you require?"

The cagy spy saw the brilliance of that play. Since the young heiress was getting a lot of correspondence from this Rizzoli woman, letters for Maura in her name would never be suspected as being other than more of the same. The Rizzoli name coming from France would be the flag to tag that correspondence as being from the smuggler. The dark man replied, "I will need about Ᵽ40,000 and I will need some trade incentives. I don't know which ones, but if you could give me some leeway I could steer a truer course."

The brilliant Lady smiled, "Any incentives you make I will honor. Now, let's enjoy our tea."

***SE***

Lady Maura Isle would sit with her ill father each day for two hours. While there the bright young woman would write her friend in a diary. The young noblewoman had had one gross of these leather tomes made with gold lettering that read, 'To Jane, Love Maura.'

The young heiress could no longer deny her feelings for the dark brooding Texan. Jane's letters were read over and over until the lonely Lady of Swansea had memorized every word, ink stroke and page crease. It had been nearly three months since Hugh had returned with the second letter, but Hugh's tales of the wild American's reactions to her letter had proven to her at least that her feelings were being returned in kind.

The sweet preteen no longer doubted her American friend. The brooding mood that had captured her before Hugh's return had been vanquished by twenty-one heart-felt pages of gossip and chatter. The ending was her favorite:

_I'm so sorry I've got to end this here letter. I've done run out of paper. I'll make the trip to Dallas and get more. I know, I'll go back with Mr. Jamieson and I can ask him to tell me more about you. We really didn't get much chance to talk in Washington. It will also be safer for him. Nobody knows the country around here better than me. I got to stop. I'm barely going to have room to sign this thing. Your loving friend, Jane._

The signature was crammed at the bottom of the last page, but it was the best part of the letter. The fact that the gorgeous Italian had used up every scrap of paper she had was evident in the torn edges of two pages that had obviously been salvaged from bills of some kind. Four pages were evidently blank pages torn from books.

The wealthy heiress had already order her fierce friend several reams of scented stationery with 'From the hand of Miss Jane Rizzoli of West Texas' printed on each page. In addition, the practical young woman had obtained two boxes of twenty-four bottles of black ink, two boxes of twelve gold tipped pens and a box of one-hundred envelopes with her address and Jane's return address pre-printed on them. The honey blond pre-teen was taking no chances.

The dutiful daughter had just completed her daily vigil when word came from the front gate that Captain Prescott had arrived from America. Bridgette had quietly approached the door and was just about to knock discretely when Maura opened it. The younger maid whispered, "Captain Prescott is at the front gate."

The normally stoic heiress quietly shut the door and dashed down the stairs to the main parlor.

***SE***

Lady Maura Isles was seated quietly in anticipation as the old sea captain entered the parlor. The captain was dresses neatly in a Isles Shipping standard captain's uniform, which was a far cry from the drab worn garb he had worn in her presence previously. The old seaman bowed appropriately and said, "I've some letters fer ya frem Miss Rizzoli."

The aging seaman produced a sugar bag which seemed rather full. The confused blonde heiress asked, "She sent me a bag of sugar?"

The savvy sailor smiled as he answered, "No, Milady, there be 115 letters in this here bag."

The excited young noblewoman's face exploded with avarice as she breathed, "115?"

The smirking captain replied, "Yes, Milady, 114, each one dated wit the date she writ it. She done wrote cha a letter every day, no matters war she be. Still does fars I knows."

The middle aged captain stumbled forward and handed the anxious pre-teen the bag. Apprehensively, the lovely girl opened her bag almost reverently. The young woman took out several envelopes and examined them like they were precious stones or some exotic treasure. While the honey blonde heiress fingered her precious letters, she commanded, "Georgie go get the diary I completed and the other items I have for Miss Rizzoli."

Taking the unfinished diary, pen and ink bottle from her apron pocket, Maura walked over to a nearby parlor table and pulled up a chair. The young woman wrote:

_September 29, 1850_

_Dearest Jane,_

_I just received your letters and I am near tears. Never has anyone sent me so fabulous a prize. I cannot express the emotion that is in my heart. I am not sure as to your feelings towards myself, but as for me I am in love with you. I do not know the future, but a future without you in my life is no future at all._

_With all my love,_

_Maura._

Tears formed in her hazel eyes as she closed and locked the diary. Taking a candle from the table, the honey blonde young woman sealed the lock with wax and using her ring placed the Isles seal upon it. When Georgina returned with the other diary, she repeated the process and turned back to her ship's captain and asked, "Did you speak with Jane?"

Captain Prescott shook his head negatively and replied, "No Milady, Mr. Conrad, your purchasing agent in Austin, Texas took the letters from her and had them sent to your offices in New Orleans. It's me understanding, she delivered sugar, salted beef and salted pork as per yourn agreement. As a matter of fact, me crew and me benefited frem her delivery. We got six barrels of that beef and two of the pork. It were our meat rations fer the entire voyage home."

The curious noblewoman asked, "Meat ration?"

The experienced officer answered, "Yes Milady, each man receives one meat ration, one tobacco ration, two vegetable rations, three water ration, three bread rations and one rum ration every day. Of course other rations ere given at certain times for instance every jack be given a lime ration every third day and a beer ration on the Sabbath."

The canny businesswoman continued the discussion, "How much is each ration?"

The practical seaman knew informing your owner of the difficulties of your job was beneficial answered, "Milady, that depends on rank. A common seaman gets four ounces, a midshipman gets eight ounces, a lieutenant gets twelve and the captain gets sixteen. Of course, the captain usually has his own stores and gives his rations back to his men, iffin he's smart. Men appreciate the gesture. Most times a soup or stew is made by the ship's cook, who takes all the rations and cooks them together."

Lady Maura stored the information in her formidable memory for future thought and ordered, "Captain, I want you to delivery these books and items to my New Orleans office."

The canny sea captain responded, "Of course Milady, be there anythin else?"

The anxious noblewoman answered, "No, you may go."

The obedient captain bowed and gathered the items in a wooden box produced by the tall bodyguard. The older man then retreated to the front door. The eager heiress commanded, "Get my writing desk and a new diary. Then leave me alone to read my mail. I wonder how long it takes to read 115 letters."

***SE***

Lady Maura spent the first hour just sorting the letters reverently in chronological order. The excited young woman wanted to read them in the order they were written. Then the eager young woman opened the first letter and read about Jane's trip to Dallas with Hugh, the enraptured young heiress read about sugar production and the sunset over a barren plain. One letter after another provided insight into the heart and mind of Jane Rizzoli.

The honey blonde pre-teen was on letter twenty-seven when her friends brought her a tray for her midday meal. The totally engrossed youth hadn't realized how hungry she was. So the ravenous pre-teen ate while consuming her letters. Her two maids and life-long friends waited quietly while their Lady finished her meal. The two sisters could not believe how long the time conscience youngster was taking to eat. Normally Lady Maura did not linger over meals. It was like she was digesting the words along with her meal.

When the honey blonde heiress had completed her meal, the young woman suggested, "Georgie could you get me that hand carved box from under my desk in my bedroom. I require it."

Georgina curtsied and hurried off to carry out her Lady's request. Bridgette retrieved the tray and took it to get her Ladyship some tea. The engaged heiress returned to her mail.

Bridgette returned first carrying a tea service with some biscuits and cake. From the looks of things, their Lady was going to be at this for a long time. Georgina returned shortly after with the ornate chest and brought it to her Lady. The high spirited heiress took the box and started arranging the letters in chronological order as she placed them gingerly into the chest. As the honey blonde noblewoman completed a letter it was added delicately to the box.

Letter fifty-one was completed when dinner arrived. The diminutive Lady refused to dine in the dining room, insisting on reading her mail, while she ate. The maids were worried about their Lady. Lady Maura had been reading these letters for nine hours and she wasn't even half way finished. Unsure of how to broach the subject, Georgina rushed off to see Lady Constance.

Bridgette sat quietly watching her young charge read and catalogue each letter. The bright smiles and flowing eyes of the normally placid honey blonde was nearly enough for the saucy maid to forgive the untamed American for disturbing their peaceful existence. It was Hugh who made the first suggestion, "Milady, it's getting late. Miss Jane wrote those letters over months of days. How could you possibly read them all in one day. Why not get a good night's sleep and start fresh in the morning?"

The young heiress considered the suggestion for a moment, but then rejected the idea. At that moment, Lady Constance entered the area and observed her young daughter diligently studying a pile of letters. The statuesque Lady asked, "Maura, do you intent to read all those letters into tomorrow?"

The tired young child replied, "Mother, I have been waiting months for these letters. Jane lives in Texas and it takes months to get letters back and forth."

The kindly mother responded, "I understand all that, Dearest and I am so happy you have finally found another old soul with whom to converse. However, it is late and you need your rest. So off to bed with you."

The distraught blonde anguished, "Mother, please let me finish."

The lovely mother stayed firm and responded, "Go to bed."

***SE***

Jane Rizzoli could no longer devote herself to the sugar mill. Things were not going well on the ranch. Several head of cattle were missing and the only explanation was rustlers. The hard-bitten fighter was angry with herself for getting so distracted that she failed to notice the intrusion on Rizzoli range.

The veteran tracker took the Wakefield brothers and Korsak and started trailing the missing cattle. The Comanche trained hunter examined the trail closely. The rustlers didn't even bother to try and cover their trail. Not that anyone could cover the trail over several hundred head of longhorn steers, especially from a tracker of the tall Texan's skill.

The skilled tracker said, "They're four days ahead of us and headed southwest rat at Comanche territory."

Adam exclaimed, "Ere they loco? Red Blanket will toast their hides for even having one of your brands."

Benjamin suggested, "Maybe, they figure they kin git through before anybody notices."

Korsak chuckled, "You're the one's that loco. A gnat kint cross Comanche country witout that old man aknowin."

The dark teenager agreed, "Mustang's rat. Ain't no way through Comanche territory lessen Red Blankets gives permission. No, they've somthin else in mind. I'm thinkin they drive at Comanche lands then veer south and a mite east at the last minute."

Korsak nodded understanding, "San Antone."

Jane made her decision, "Korsak, you take Adam and Benji and I'm atakin Cain. Follow the trail; hell my blind grandma could follow their trail. Cain and me are heading due south and cutting them off north of San Antone."

Everyone agreed with the plan. Not that their input mattered. It was Rizzoli cattle, so it was a Rizzoli decision.

***SE***

The eight men had been pushed hard for four days. They knew that the Rizzolis were trailing them. What they didn't know was how many hands there were or who they were. Everyone knew about Big Frank and his daughter Jane, so the fear was it was them. They had no illusions if it was Big Frank, he would hang them from the nearest tree without any trial or any hesitation. So for the past few days, they have been pushing their stolen cattle hard, letting several cattle every hour drop from the herd in the hope that the trailing riders would slow down to pick up stray cattle.

From the three hundred or so steers they had rustled, only a few over one hundred remained. The eight desperate men figured they would be in San Antonio tomorrow at the latest. What they didn't figure on was what they saw in front of them, two riders sitting their horses in the middle of the trail. One of the two was a tall lean teenage girl and the other a large broad man. The girl was obviously Jane Rizzoli, but the man was too young to be Big Frank.

The two riders just sat there between them and San Antonio. Suddenly the big man broke off and rode to cover. While the tall lean girl rode causally towards them. The wild woman put her sheathed her rifle and slowly drew two pistols, then spurred her horse. The men were caught flatfooted. They had not expected two hands to attack eight. A boom from the rocks to the right and a man was torn from his saddle and the cattle scattered.

The slip of a girl was raining shots from her pistols and before the rustlers could draw their weapons five of them were lying on the ground bleeding. There was no fight left in the other three as they shucked their pistols and raised their right arm, while holding their horses' reins with their left hand.

The cold eyes of the dark haired young woman held their deaths and they knew it. She coldly said, "Iffin y'all manage to get every steer back here in the next hour, I might not hang y'all. Otherwise, I'm gonna to swing every son of a mother of ya using leather rope."

Unarmed and with nowhere to run the three rustlers hustled off to round up the scattered herd. Forty minutes later Korsak, Benjamin and Cain rode up with the rest of the missing cattle. The rustlers had managed to get most of the cattle and were in the process of herding the final few stragglers when the other herd appeared.

Korsak asked as he spotted the five bodies covered with a saddle blanket, "Where they any trouble?"

Jane smiled, "Gentle as lambs to the slaughter."

***SE***

The next day, a herd of some three hundred longhorns were herded into town, along with five men tied across their saddles. Jane and her crew herded the cows into a stock pen and signaled for three of the men to lead her to the sheriff's office. There they were met by a lean man, no more than seventeen with a shotgun, who said, "Hold it right there stranger. Who might you be?"

The tall lovely young woman smiled her best Rizzoli smile and answered, "Jane Rizzoli and these three yahoos rustled my herd north of here. I trailed them and their five dead friends over there and took my cows back. I brung these three in cuz I promised not hang them if they helped me get my herd here."

The deputy responded, "Wal, the sheriff is out to the Hadley place, old Jonas had some trouble too. Circuit judge is due in three months, y'all can give witness then."

At which point Jane drew her pistols and shot the three men from their saddles. Then turned to the deputy and said, "Waste of time, I don't have. I just tried 'em and found 'em guilty. I would have hung 'em, but I had to keep my word. Iffin y'all got any problem wit it I'm at the Rizzoli Ranch north of here. Y'all kin bury them and my men will foot the bill."

The young killer turned her horse and rode back to her men and said, "Korsak, get this beef salted and shipped to Austin. Trade hides and tallow for what y'all need. I'm leavin' y'all in charge. I'm heading to Austin to see Mr. Conrad. I've got some mail that needs delivering.

***SE***

Jane rode into Austin to find a crowd in front of the newspaper. The tall Texan rode up to the nearest on-looker and asked, "What's goin' on?"

The man replied, "President Taylor died."

The young woman rode to Joseph Conrad's office and found the heavy man standing outside his place as if he knew she was coming. He said, "I'm glad ya here. I just got word, Lord Isles is dead. He ain't got much time. I figured y'd wont to write Lady Isles some comfort."

Jane asked, "Is that trunk she sent me still here?"

The heavy set man replied, "Of course."

The dark warrior responded, "Get her out. I'm on the next boat to England."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I have no beta readers, so there may always be some ways I can tighten my prose. I have no problem with constructive criticism. I do have a style of writing in that I try to stay away from using names and repeating myself over and over. So by my own policy I always have an adjective and a noun instead of Jane this and Jane that. I also hate the overuse of pronouns. She does this and she does that, which she are you talking about. I do try and set up what is being said with the correct adjective. I will admit sometimes I miss. So I will try harder to select the proper adjective to set the mood and keep the pace.**

Chapter 7: The Trail to England

Joseph Conrad was startled by the young woman's reaction to his news. The heavy-set buyer had expected a long letter of condolence or maybe some gift or gesture to cheer up the grieving daughter. But the older man never expected the rambunctious teenager to run off to England. So the father in him had to ask, "You're going to England without your Pa's permission? I don't know if I can let you do that."

The tall Texan dismounted and walked up the man and looked down a bit at him with her cold hard stare and said, "Mr. Conrad, my Pa hasn't had a say in wat I done since I was ten. I goes my own way and he loves me fer it. Iffin I go to England, he'll know about it, but only after I've left. Not cause I'm afraid he won't let me, it's cause he don't need to let me. I do what I wont when I wont and don't ask permission nor forgiveness. Iffin y'all think y'all kin stop me, then have a go at it."

The older man was no match for this wild Injun. A man has to know his limitations and stopping this young woman from doing anything was one of those limitations, so he replied, "I had to ask. What kind of father would I be if I didn't at least consider another father's feelings."

Jane smiled and placed her hand gently on his shoulder, "Mr. Conrad, we grow up fast war I come from and I knows yourn can be children a lot longer than I could, so don't worry about me. I kin take car of myself. Wat I need from y'all is a letter that talls them in Nawlins that I'm Jane Rizzoli. I knows Maura's done told y'all to give me any hep I needs. I needs a boat to England."

Joseph Conrad was in a dilemma. He knew the right thing to do was to refuse to give this teenager a letter that would allow her to go thousands of miles away from her family on a whim. Yet, he knew that no matter what he did this determined Texan would go without the letter and maybe get in the wrong crowd to do what she wanted to do. So, the large man did what he had to do, he wrote the letter.

The brash young hunter said, "Thanks fer the letter. Now I gots a couple of wagons of salt beef comin up the trail from San Antone. Y'all gonna meet Mustang Korsak, he's my pa's foreman. Tell 'em wat I'm adoin and he'll tell my pa. I figure he's agoin to have at least 10 barrels of salted beef. So, iffin y'all take my word fer it, I'd likes to git $300 in advance on that beef. Iffin I'm wrong on the count, I'll make it up to y'all wen I gets back."

The older man took out a pouch of coins and counted out 15 gold eagles. Then the savvy businessman counted out 15 more and said, "Here's $600. I'll take what beef there is and take off the rest on the next shipment. I jest need you to sign a receipt for the money, so your man knows I gave ya the money."

The young woman took the money and put the coins in her own purse. Then the bright young lady asked, "I guess I'm going to need those two chests. I'm going to go to the livery and get a pack animal for them. When I get back I'm going to want to load them on that animal and head for New Or-leans. I figure to trade and barter for fresh animals along the way."

The conflicted tradesman nodded his consent and then went to check to see when the next Isles ship was leaving New Orleans.

***SE***

Maura was getting ready for Christmas. Christmas in Swansea was a gigantic affair, when the entire town and all the towns nearby were invited to the Isles Estate for a Christmas dinner. Gifts were given to every child that attended. At this very minute, the servants were busy wrapping boys and girls presents for ages newborn to 14.

Dresses were given to the girls, suits for the boys and stockings for them all, filled with candy, small toys, fruit and nuts. The clothing was both Christian kindness and self-serving. By giving out proper clothing to the children each year, parents could concentrate on feeding and housing their children, which relieved some of the burden from the adults and making them better and more productive workers.

Isles factories, farms and mills all produced more products with less discontent than any such businesses in England. Today, Maura was checking the bills and invoices to insure everything would go smoothly tomorrow night. Everything had to go without any difficulty, the young heiress was in the midst of arranging a directors meeting and the young noblewoman could show no weakness.

The young woman was arranging the meeting, planning Christmas and reading her latest sack of Texas mail. Today was going to be a long day for the honey blonde pre-teen, but it was starting well. While examining bills of lading and invoices, the Lady Isles was eating her favorite breakfast of trail bread and maple syrup. Whenever the young woman ate breakfast, it reminded her of the young Texan who showed her chef how to make it.

Though the gay young Lady had already set Jane two more of her completed diaries, the thoughtful heiress was sending her Texas friend several Christmas presents. The pamper noblewoman had hand wrapped each gift and had written a small not for each gift.

The blonde pre-teen asked three servants to count all the boys gifts and three other servants to count all the girl's gifts. This way there would be no mistakes. Each gift was wrapped in golden paper with a sprig of holly on each gift fasten with a needle. The needle was an additional gift to the household, as needles and pins were very important and hard to afford.

On each gift, were the child's name and age to validate the identity of the gift. After the presents were counted, the list of children was checked against the names on the gifts. Again this was to insure accuracy. Every gift would be given by the Lady Maura personally.

The prim and proper young businesswoman consumed another piece of trail toast and was working on the sausage. The sausage was fresh from a tenet farmer in lieu of rent. Many of her tenets couldn't pay their rent and taxes with money, so most of her tenets worked on a barter system.

Just as the young woman finished her breakfast a servant ran into the dining room panting, "Lady, there is a problem with the lighting. Some of the torches are not working, Mr. Michael needs you."

The new Lady sighed. It was one thing to be the princess, but it was another to be the queen. All Maura could think of, was how it was going to be a very long day.

***SE***

A tall rider riding a large roan and leading a pack horse with a large truck lashed to it came into on Christmas Eve. When the rider got closer, the blacksmith noticed the rider was a female. The rider rode like she had been borne to the handle a horse, so she wasn't just some woman who got it into her head to for a ride.

The large muscular man put down his hammer and picked up his rifle. He walked up to entrance to his barn and work area and said, "Morning, can I hep ya?"

The cautious Texan stopped about twenty feet from the man and said, "Mister, I'm headed ta Nawlins and 'd like ta swap out horses. Mine ere played out."

The brawny blacksmith said, "Well, you've come to the rat place, Little Lady. I kin hep ya. I have a sorrel and a mule that would trade for yourn."

The experienced horse trader smiled and replied, "Mister, y'all must think I just dropped off the turnip truck. Cause a sorrel and a mule for my roan and my draft horse is a steal. Now, iffin y'all were to make that two mules and their packs, we might have a deal."

The giant of a man laughed and said, "Light and set. We kin jaw a bit over some coffee. My misses mightent even have a cake we kin gnaw on."

The careful fighter turned her horse so she could dismount with the roan between them. Once down, the savvy Indian fighter moved to the back of her mount to keep her horses in the way of any trouble. The strapping blacksmith laughed, "Y'all ere the cautious one."

Jane responded, "I'm alive."

***SE***

Young Lady Isles spent the rest of the day arranging the banquet and the decoration of the hall. The intelligent young woman sent two of her male servants to find a fine pine tree and cut it down for a Christmas tree.

Finally, with all the tasks designated and all the preparations made the vibrate young woman made her way to her room to write in her latest Jane diary. The staff watched their young miss walked to her room and many silently prayed for her happiness, because they knew the young Lady was not happy. Her loneliness filled the manor with sadness.

The young miss's mother didn't see it, because she was too happy in the arms of her French lover. The father, who did see it, is gone. Now, the young noblewoman walked around doing what was needed without any regard for her own well-being.

From the stairway, Bridgette watched her friend and Lady ascend the stairs and knew her destination. How long could letters be enough to heal the loneliness? The saucy young maid wished she could soothe her Lady's loneliness, but knew that only the wild American could do that.

Georgina watched her Lady from the top of the stairs. The efficient young maid had just finished cleaning her Lady's bedroom and had cleaned up the spilled ink and soiled napkin that been used to hide the spatter. The sympathetic young woman knew her young charge had tossed that bottle in frustration last night and hoped that her best friend could find some solace in Christmas.

***SE***

In the end, Jane traded her fine roan and draft horse for an older sorrel, two mules and an old Hawkins rifle. The wily Texan knew she had gotten the better of the deal, but didn't lord it over the man. After all the blacksmith was at a disadvantage; he was seeing a pretty young girl and not the hardened Indian fighter that was Jane Rizzoli.

Not wanting to waste any time in getting to Maura, the experienced traveler left before sunrise. The blacksmith had been kind enough to let her sleep in his spare bedroom. It seems his daughter had just married and he and wife were alone in the big house. The older woman had doted on the young teenager and insisted on packing the veteran trekker a sack of cooked goods.

***SE***

Maura rose to a fine crisp winter morning with a lot of snow on the ground and ice on the windows. As the weather went, it was a perfect Christmas day. However, it was a Christmas without the two people who meant the most to her, Jane and her loving father.

The honey blonde heiress had spent the night writing in her Jane diary, telling her friend about her loneliness and heart ache. She wrote about her lack of friends and of all the enemies trying to take away her birthright. For the third night in a row, the sad young woman cried herself to sleep.

Yes, it was a beautiful morning, but the beauty only hid the sorrow and emptiness that had entered Maura's young heart.

***SE***

As the veteran hunter rode toward her destination, she came across two hares fighting for some wild carrots. The experience huntswoman was never one to look providence in the mouth and saw fresh meat. The quick killer drew her Le Mat smoothly and shot both animals through the head, not wanting to destroy the meat or ruin a good pelt.

***SE***

The hall was decorated with sprigs of holly, mistletoe and Christmas flowers of all kinds and description. Ribbons, bows and tassels spun a web of beauty to every corner of the great room and dominating the room was the giant fifteen foot Christmas tree, freshly cut from neighboring woods.

Lady Constance and the staff had decorated the lovely tree with garland, colored flowers, hand painted dolls and soldiers and with candles…hundreds and hundreds of candles. Anyone entering the hall would think they had entered the fairy kingdom.

The Christmas banquet was about to start and Maura had to give the welcoming speech, "Hello, everyone. My father started this tradition when I was in swaddling clothes. Now, he is gone. May God have mercy on his soul. He would be so pleased to see that we keep up his tradition. In the past, it was his pleasure to pass out the Christmas gifts to the children. Tonight, it is my honor to take his place in this ritual and give to each child a gift from our hearts here at Isles Manor.

I asked my mother if she wanted the honor, but she said that she was just an agent for the real Lady Isles and that Lady Isles should give out the gifts. Though my age keeps the title from me legally, in my heart and in my soul, I am your Lady and will die to keep that privilege. So no further ado, I call out the first name.

Maura pulled a present from under the tree and read the first name, "Timothy Seacourt, age 12."

***SE***

Zach Hebert was putting his three cows into the barn for the night. He worked his farm even on Christmas day. He was a good Catholic and had taken mass and communion at sunrise, but God understood that winter was coming and the crops had been poor this year. The weather had been too dry for his rice crop and if things didn't go well with the winter trapping, fishing and eeling; then his family would be going hungry this year.

The nearly thirty year old Cajun had a sixty acre farm outside of Lake Charles, Louisiana of which only twenty was cultivatable. The rest was marsh and draining it was too costly. The dark haired, brown eyed man with sun dried tanned skin watch an approaching rider. The normally cautious man cursed himself for a fool for forgetting his shotgun inside the house.

The hard working farmer hadn't expected anyone traveling Christmas day and therefore hadn't expected an unexpected visitor. The shadowy figure called in a somewhat female voice, "Hullo, the house."

Right on cue, his misses came through the door holding his shotgun with his pistol belted to her hip. The stranger shouted, "I've come peaceful, ma'am, but iffin I weren't y'all be two kinds of dead. Word of advice ma'am; never silhouette yourself in a lit doorway. Y'all should have put the light out first. Now, y'all kin give your man his guns. I'll wait rat cheer."

The curious woman squinted her eyes to see if she could see who was talking, but the figure remained safely within the shadows. Slowly and cautiously the married woman approached her husband with her shotgun firmly trained on the talking stranger.

When the older woman reached her husband, Zach took the shotgun from her and told her to return to the house. The frightened farmer turned his shotgun onto the obscure outline in the distance. The tired farmer said wearily, "Who ere ya?"

The indistinct figure called out, "My name is Jane Rizzoli and I'm headed ta Nawlins. I was just wondering iffin I could bother y'all fer a meal. I kin pay."

The suspicious planter asked, "How do I knows I kin trust ya?"

The voice in the darkness laughed and said truthfully, "Mister, iffin I war a mind of killin y'all, y'all be dead. I let y'all get situated. Iffin I intended harm, y'd notta had that chance."

The cynical farmer saw the wisdom in her answer and said, "Wal, yar awelcome to wat we've got fer dinner. It ain't much wit the crop being so poor and all, but y'all ere swelcome to her and fer no pay. I ain't ever turned nobody away hungry iffin I could do otherwise. I jest didn't expect nobody atravelin on Christmas day."

The rider left the shadow and rode confidently into the yard with her rifle in it sheath and her pistols in their holsters. The loop was off her pistol on her hip, but the farmer didn't understand the significance of this action. As was the rider's custom, she dismounted with the horse between her and that shotgun.

The hard-boiled farmer could see that the rider was no more than a girl, a tall girl, but a girl. So, he asked, "Child, does ya family knowed ya to be travelin?"

The tough Texan answered, "Mister, I ain't no child. War I come from y'all ain't a child after your tenth birthday. I be fourteen soon to be fifteen. I's kilt every kind of critter and man there is. I's kilt Injuns, white men and Mexicans. I've hunted buffalo wit the Comanche and 've been ta the White House and met the President of these here United States. I make my own way and my pa knows it."

The sentimental man had a soft spot for children and women and this rider was both, so he couldn't let it go without further comment, "No disrespect, but why ere ya out on Christmas night?"

Jane not wanting to hurt the man's feelings said, "Mister, I won't pry in y'all bidness iffin y'all don't pry in mine. Jest, let it be that I's got a friend in need and I'm agoin to hep her."

Zach Hebert was a good Christian and he knew that Bible told us to help one another. How could he argue against the Bible? So, the good Catholic said, "Wal, iffin ya wont, ya kin sleep in the barn. I'd let ya sleep inside, but we ain't got much room."

The tall Texan smiled and said, "Mister, I've slept in worse. It's real kind of y'all to let me sleep out of the weather. It be getting chilly and I dint bring no blankets other than my roll."

So, while the farmer told his wife about their company, the unruly young woman unsaddled her horse and unpacked her two mules. The barn was warn and snug. The man built well, no chinks for the wind to cut through in this barn. However, the observant teenager noticed the lack of good farm animals. While, the man had three cows, there was no bull or horses. The planter had only a few scrawny chickens and nary a rooster in sight.

The kindly Italian took a gold piece, the bag of cooked goods and the two rabbit carcasses from her mule pack and walked to the house. Christmas was a time for sharing and the young warrior knew she had a lot to share.

***SE***

When Maura called out the last name, she saw a young girl sit quietly with tears running down her cheeks. The young heiress signaled to Georgina to come to her. The efficient servant hurried to her Lady to inquire as to her needs. When the young maid arrived, the honey blonde businesswoman asked, "Why is that child crying?"

Georgina looked to the girl and noticed the child had no present, so the sharp servant answered, "Milady, she has no gift. I'll see why."

The young Frenchwoman hurried to where the young girl was seated and talked to an adult sitting next to her. After a moment of conversation, Georgina returned and said, "Milady, the child's name is Tina and she has come to live with her aunt and uncle. Her parents died of influenza last month. Her aunt and uncle are her only living relatives. They had told the child not to expect anything as she just got here, but it's hard on a child that others got presents and she received none."

Maura understood more than the others how it was to lose a parent. The loss of her beloved father was still fresh in her heart. So the tender-hearted heiress told her maid, "Georgie, go get one of my old house dresses and one of my old evening gowns and send Bridgette to me."

A knowing smile crossed the young servant's face as she rushed off to do as she was instructed. In moments, her other friend and maid came and the young heiress ordered, "Bridgette go to the kitchen and get a fresh pie and a sack of ginger cookies."

The second servant rushed off to obey her Lady. The vital young Lady looked upon the crowd and said kindly, "It warms my heart to see the love and respect of my tenets. It has been a difficult year with the bad harvest and loss of my father, but we will be starting a new year in just seven more days. I pray that 1851 is better than 1850 has been.

I have also noticed we have a new family member. You see, I think of us as a large family. I understand that Tina has lost her parents as I have lost my father. I know the pain that losing a parent can cause. I can only guess at the difficulty in losing two.

Tina, I am sorry that you did not receive a gift. It is my oversight and I am so sorry. So, I have something that I hope will make up for that oversight."

At that moment, Georgina came into the hall caring a lovely house dress, the kind that ladies of fashion wore around the house for comfort and a golden evening dress with green trim and embroidered flowers. Maura had worn that dress to a formal dinner just days before and she never wore the same dress twice, it was fitting that this lonely child benefit from her extravagance.

The honey blonde heiress took the dresses from her maid and held them out to the young child, as she said, "Take these and tomorrow come to the Manor and my seamstress will fit them for you."

At that point, Bridgette entered with a fresh blueberry pie and a hot sack of fresh ginger cookies. Maura took them from her friend and maid and said to Tina, "I know you didn't receive a stocking, so I hope this pie and these cookies will suffice. Tomorrow when you come to get your dresses fitted, I will make sure that you receive some fruit and nuts for the winter to come."

All the tenets in the Manor; stood and cheered their Lady. Lady Constance beamed with pride at the kindness and generosity of her daughter.

***SE***

Jane entered the warm home to the smell of fresh greens. Fresh greens were always a luxury on the range. Meat, beans and potatoes were plentiful, but fresh greens were only available at the ranch house and not on the range.

The observant hunter saw the small loaf of bread and the even smaller bowl of butter on the table and knew that this family was in need. There were two boys about eight and six as well as a two or three year old girl.

Without any fanfare or speech, the kindly Texan put her two hares and sack of cooked goods on the table. The smiling teenager opened the gunny sack and took a cold smoked ham from it. Next she slowly removed two loaves of day old bread. Then, the theatrical young woman pulled a whole chocolate cake from the bag. Finally, the smirking Italian removed a sack of sugar cookies.

The self conscious farmer said, "Miss, we invited cha and ya bring the meal. That hardly seems rat."

The grin disappeared from her face as she said, "Mister, y'all opened y'all's house fer me on Christmas day. It'd be Unchristian of me to not bring some gifts on this holy day. I's a good Catholic girl and my pa'd tan my hide iffin I dint return y'all's kindness and done my best to respect the Christmas spirit.

Now, iffin y'all don't mind I'd like to clean up a mite. While I'm adoin that maybe y'all kin cook up those rabbits and heat up the ham and bread, then we kin celebrate the Lord's birthday proper-like."

The grateful man smiled and slapped the hard young woman firmly on her back. Jane didn't even finch. The strong farmer marveled at the strength of this sleek young woman and said, "The wash pan is out back. There's a outhouse just beyond, iffin y'all need it. I'll get ya some soap. Marge jest made a fresh batch two days ago and it still gots some softness."

While Jane poured the water, the older man came out with some still hardening lye soap. It was perfect for removing several layers of trail dust from the young woman's hands and face. Using her hands as a brush, the wild Texan did the best she could to tame her curly dark black hair.

When the kind Italian returned, she was greeted by the smell of simmering ham, roasting rabbit and toasting bread. With the fresh greens and some sugar cookies, the young Texan felt that this was going to be a pretty good Christmas. The only thing missing was Maura and that thought made her smile vanish.

***SE***

Maura was there when Tina arrived to have her new dresses fitted. Only the child tried to return the gown saying, "Milady, when would I have need of such a gown."

The kindly heiress replied, "That sounds like your aunt and uncle talking. I know every young woman dreams of having one fine gown, if only to dream of using it. However, I promise you that you will have need of that gown very soon. You have my word as a Lady and noblewoman of the Realm."

With that said, the honey blonde pre-teen presented the child with a large wicker basket filled with fresh fruit and dried nuts. Maura said, "Take these child and when you eat them remember me and know that you have a kinsman in sorrow. We have both lost so much and we can both share in our loss."

Bridgette led the child away and was taking her Sophie for her fitting, when the young red-haired girl asked, "Why is the Lady so kind to me?"

Bridgette stopped and lowered herself to the honest girl's level and replied, "Lady Maura is the kindest person I know. She would never allow another soul to suffer, if she could stop it. She also sees herself in you. She loved her father dearly and he is gone. Her mother is nice, but not very giving to her daughter. My Lady is very lonely and misses the one person she loves. Her love is in America and they only write one another. It takes many months for them to exchange letters. Milady desperately wants her heart to come and see her, but knows that it is not going to happen. The Lady Maura would love to go to America and visit, but right now, she has too many responsibilities to leave. All this makes her very sad."

The innocent child asked earnestly, "Is there nothing I can do to help such a kind and great Lady?"

The canny French maid thought for a moment and answered, "I think there is. Why don't you come to dinner tonight and bring the Lady some flowers. I think that would make her feel much better."

With that the pair went to visit the seamstress.

***SE***

Jane was not able to leave the next morning as she planned. A storm had swept up from the south. The local farmer told her it was a small hurricane. He had been through two others in his life and knew you had to get to shelter. His cabin was well built and could withstand most storms, so the young Texan was forced to stay one more day.

This storm was very late. Hurricanes rarely hit later than October, but the hurricane of 1850 hit on the day following Christmas. The strong storm hit several mile west of Lake Charles around Orange, Texas. However, they were feeling the strong outer bands of the storm.

The storm lasted for several hours and when it had blown itself out, the cautious Texan and frightened farmer guardedly left the safety of the house. A few shingles and some of the barn roof were damaged, but on the whole the farm fared pretty well. It was fortunate that the storm had landed so far to the west.

In the light of day, Jane noticed something very familiar to her in the marshland near the Hebert farm. Tentatively, the sharp businesswoman asked, "How do y'all make this land pay fer itself?"

The proud farmer answered, "Well, I raise rice on the twenty acres I've managed to clear, but I've got forty more acres of marshland. From that I trap and eel in the winter. I sell the furs. I also fish and hunt. Whycha ask?"

The canny Texan smiled, "Mister Hebert, I know how y'all kin make some extry money. You see that cane over yonder."

The inquisitive planter replied, "Yeah, it's all over the place."

The wily Italian winked and said, "Mister, that thar is a gold mine. That's sugar cane. I mill it in Texas and sell the sugar to rum makers. Re-fined sugar brings in ten to twelve cents a pound. Do y'all's neighbors have cane on thar land?"

The astute landowner smiled, "They shore do."

The bright brunette always open to making money said, "Y'all gather all the cane y'all kin and I'll make shore it gets re-fined and I'll split the sugar with y'all fifty-fifty. Do y'all know hows to build a grinding mill?"

The crafty builder responded, "I should smile. My pappy and pappy's pappy were builders and they taught me. I kin build anythin."

The young woman went to her saddle bags and returned with five gold eagles and handed to the man saying, "I wont y'all to build that grinding mill and I'll gets a sugar maker to come and finish the factry fer y'all. Then, you get to making that thar sugar. Iffin y'all smart, start buying up all the cane y'all kin at a quarter penny a bushel. It takes several bushel of can to make a pound of sugar.

Like I said, I'm puttin up the seed money and gettin y'all a sugar maker. Y'all do the cuttin, buyin, and building. Then we split fifty-fifty. Do we-ins have a deal?"

The smart man held out his hand, which the smarter woman shook.

***SE***

At 6:30, Tina arrived wearing her Sunday dress with a bouquet of freshly cut flowers. It was the height of winter and it took the child all day to find the few scraggly flowers in her small hands. But the young girl was proud of what her accomplishment.

Tina was six years old with red hair and golden brown eyes that shone in the moonlight. Her aunt and uncle didn't believe the young child when she told them she had been invited to dinner until Bridgette arrived in the Lady's coach to retrieve the child for dinner.

The old couple had been tenets on this land for many years. The Lady was their fourth landholder and they hoped she would be their last. The elderly pair was really the child's great aunt and great uncle. The aunt's deceased sister was the child's grandmother. Their children had all died before they were ten.

Seven children all died and buried. The couple was too old to be raising another child and they feared to love another child they might be forced to bury. So, the young girl was doomed to live with unloving old people, who resented her life, when their children had none.

Bridgette and Georgina had found all this out during the day. They were hopeful that this lonely young girl could help their lonely Lady find some happiness. The bright young girl walked shyly into the main dining room with her bouquet of winter flowers.

Maura noticed the young girl and exclaimed, "My, what a wonderful surprise! Mother, we have a guest for dinner."

Lady Constance entered the brightly lit room and smiled at the lovely young girl with the small bouquet in her delicate hands and asked, "Why are you here child?"

The confused youngster stammered incoherently and Bridgette interjected, "The young miss asked if there was any way she could help Lady Maura smile and I suggested she come to dinner with some flowers. I hope I didn't overstep my bounds."

The older lady shouted, "Nonsense! Such a lovely bouquet is worthy of a meal. Maura, you have an admirer."

The shy young lady stepped tentatively forward until she reached the lovely heiress and presented her few flowers. Maura took them reverently and said, "Thank you. Come and sit by me."

***SE***

Jane had made only a few miles before the light was going. The constant rain and dark clouds had inhibited her traveling, but just as the weather was clearing the further east she got, nightfall was closing in. The tough Texan, used to weather and poor conditions pushed on until, she reached the small town of Lake Charles.

The frontier town had one thing that was most welcome to the young traveler. The small collection of buildings had a hotel. The wet young woman approached the desk clerk and asked, "Do y'all have a room?"

The lazy clerk yawned, "Iffin, y'all got fifty cents, I have a room."

The weary Italian put five dimes on the desk and said, "I'll take a room and a bath iffin y'all got one."

The bored man responded, "A bath's twenty cents. I'll get the maid to bring y'all a tub and hot water. For another quarter, I kin have her bring y'all a hot meal. I thinks we-ins got chicken and dumplings wit cornbread tonight."

The tired traveler put down five more dimes and stated, "I wont a pot of tea wit that food. I'm chilled to the bone and need some heatin up."

The wary older man noticed the rifle causally cradled in her arms and the four hand guns strategically placed on her person. The veteran hotel clerk knew a tough customer when he saw one and figured this was some young cowhand on his way to New Orleans to let off some steam. He failed to notice though the trail mud and heavy coat that the cowboy was really a cowgirl.

When the hardened cowhand left and walked wearily up the stairs to her room, the wily clerk, knowing a hand with some extra cash, motioned for his oldest daughter to come over. The conniving man ordered, "Girl, we-ins got ourselves a flush one. Y'all gets a tub and some hot water up to his room. Then y'all get over to Annie's and get him a plate of dumplings and a pot of tea. After that I wont y'all to get him to drinking and fornicating. After he passes out, call me and we-ins'll strip him of everythin and dump him in the marsh. The gators'll do the rest."

***SE***

Tina used her best manners in the fine Manor with the fine china and silverware, but the young girl could see from the manners of Lady Maura, hers were lacking. The youngster next tactic was to imitate the polite heiress's every move. The movements were not lost on the maids or the two Ladies.

The women chuckled to themselves as the young child did her best to mimic her new idol. Maura felt a warmth, she had not felt in months for the actions of the youngster and motioned for Bridgette to come to her side. When Bridgette leaned over to hear her Lady's whisper, she heard, "Thank you. Find out what you can about this child's plight."

Bridgette smiled. Georgina and she had already completed their investigation of the young girl. They would tell their Lady about the child tonight after diner and before she did her nightly writing. Their hope was that the child would make the writing less maudlin and more Maura.

***SE***

While the young maid was getting Jane her dinner, the filthy Texan stripped her muddy boots and clothes. Before the careful Italian poured the six buckets of steaming water into the tub, she took one of her pistols and placed it under one of the towels. As the weary warrior slipped into the scalding tub, a sigh escaped her lips.

The hot water puckered and reddened her legs as the tough cowhand eased herself into the tub. As the tired traveler started scrubbing the day's mud off her body, the efficient maid entered the room using the spare key. The expert hunter was washing the mud from her long curly hair when she called out from behind the room separator, "Thank y'all. Thar be a dime on the table fer y'all."

The confused maid picked up the coin and wondered at the age of the cowhand, because it didn't sound like his voice had changed yet. In an effort to get the show moving, the clerk's daughter asked, "Kin I getcha some whiskey or sometin?"

The wary Texan didn't drink while traveling alone or in the presence of strangers. The young woman was not very trusting of folks in general and strangers in particular. So, the experience journeyman replied, "No thanks, I don't drink."

Not sure of what to do next, the young maid put her head around the room screen to smile suggestively at the stranger, only to see a young woman washing her hair. The maid yelped and Jane pulled and cocked her pistol as she shouted, "Get y'all's ass out of my room. Y'all ain't my type."

The young woman ran from the room and down the stairs to tell her father, what she had seen.

***SE***

Georgina started the conversation in her Lady's bedroom, "Milady, Tina is the great niece of Edna Van Winkle and her husband Albert. Albert is Dutch and Edna is Welch. Her sister was Tina's grandmother and Tina's mother's aunt. Tina's father is Irish and has no known relatives, which is not unusual for the Irish as many have had to change their names for safety.

The Van Winkles had six children, all of whom had died before their tenth year. Hence they are really not happy to have another possible heartbreak in their home, but what could they do. They are too old to be raising such a bright and young girl. The couple has tried on more than one occasion unsuccessfully to give the girl to someone else to raise."

Bridgette continued, "Several of their neighbors have heard the child crying in the night and on more than one occasion they have heard the Van Winkles yelling at and cursing the child. Once one of the town constables saw bruises on Tina's face, but she said she had fallen out of a tree.

Milady, that poor girl needs someone to look after her. Georgina and I have talked about it and would like to take her in. We will take care of her and you don't have to know she's around. We just can't sit by and let those awful people hurt the child."

Maura chastised her young friend by saying, "They are not awful people. An awful person would not have taken the child at all. However, they are not equipped to take care of a cat much less a child. Tomorrow, I want you both to go and get the child. I will pay the Van Winkles an indemnity and have the courts appoint me the child's guardian."

The two sisters smiled. It had all gone according to plan.

***SE***

After the maid had fled the room, the weary Texan got of her tub with her pistol in hand and padded across the room to locked her door. The careful young woman pushed a chair under the door knob. The wily Italian had no idea how many keys there were to this room.

Spotting the hot food and pot of tea, the wet young lady rushed to dry herself and change into clean dry clothing. After wolfing down her food and pouring the hot tea down her gullet, the tough cowhand felt warm and human again. Taking her gun belts from the bed post, the veteran warrior donned her guns and took her rifle for the trek downstairs.

Once downstairs, the experienced fighter walked up to the clerk and demanded, "Get somebody to check on my mounts at the stable. Then get me a maid, who doesn't want to roll me. One more thang, iffin sometin else happens while I'm asleepin, I ain't complainin, I'm ashootin. Do y'all understand me?"

The clerk swallowed hard and nodded. He sent his youngest daughter, who was still a virgin and totally innocent in the ways of men. The young girl knocked on the door, which Jane answered, "I wont to get my clothes cleaned before daylight."

The shy girl nodded and replied, "I'll do it myself."

Jane nodded and closed the door, while thinking, 'Now thar's a sweet child."

***SE***

The next day Tina became the latest member of the Isles household. Maura sat the child down and asked her sincerely, "Do you wish to become my ward?"

The baffled child queried, "What's a ward?"

The patient heiress answered, "A ward is a person of who is taken care by another person. In this case, I would be taking care of you. I would be your guardian and you would be my ward. I would see to it, you went to school and was well clothed and feed. I would take care of you, so that no one would ever hurt you again."

The still perplexed child inquired, "Would you be my mother?"

The honey blonde pre-teen didn't want to overstep her bounds, so she replied, "No one can replace your mother, but I will try and make your life happier."

The young redhead smiled and responded, "Thank you, but can I call your mother? I do so want a mother."

Maura wiped a tear from her eye and held out her arms for the child to share an embrace, as she whispered, "You may call me anything you wish, Tina."

***SE***

Jane left well before dawn. During the night her clothes freshly washed, but still damped appeared at her door. When the tall Texan had reached the front desk, the hotel owner was at the front desk. Jane held up a fifty cent piece and said, "This be fer the young woman, who cleaned my clothes last night. She were about twelve wit golden hair and a quiet smile."

The hotel owner smiled and said, "That would be Melody. Her father is my brother-in-law. My sister died and now I'm doing my best for my nieces."

The wary Italian responded, "I'm not shore, but I think he tried to have an older girl, brunette with cold blue eyes, try to roll me last night."

The puzzled hotel owner asked, "Why would he think he could get his daughter to roll a lovely young woman like yourself?"

The canny brunette answered, "Cause when I came in last night, I were full of mud and had my rain slicker on. I don't think he could tell I were a woman."

The hotel owner nodded and said, "I'll take care of it and I'll see that Melody gets her money."

When Jane got to the barn to get her mounts, she found Melody petting her sorrel and talking to him, "Do y'all think she'll take me to my cousin in Nawlins? I needs to get out of cheer afore my paw has me doin bad thins."

The dark Texan cleared her throat and asked, "Y'all always talk to horses?"

The startled young woman stammered, "They listen better than people."

The tough brunette laughed as she replied, "Y'all rat about that. So, y'all want a ride to Nawlins. Y'all got a cousin thar for shore?"

The innocent blonde responded, "Yes, my cousin Lucille has a boarding house west of the City in Carrollton."

The wary Italian didn't like the girl's father and knew he had already ruined one daughter and she couldn't let him taint another. So the experience cowhand took the load off one of the mules and transferred it to the other. Then the veteran horsewoman put a blanket on the mule's back and helped the young blonde mount the animal.

Jane leaped into her saddle, winked at the young woman and said, "Let's go."

***SE***

Isles Manor was hosting the annual New Year's Ball. Every December 31st, the Isles family hosted a ball to celebrate the coming year. This year was no different. Every nobleman and woman was invited and most accepted instantly. Other than the Queen's Ball, this was the event to attend.

Maura true to her word was dressing her new ward in her first ball gown. The child was so excited that the staff had been unable to calm her enough to complete her attire. With Bridgette's and Georgina's help, the new 'mother' managed to get the anxious child dressed.

Lady Constance entered Tina's new bedroom and examined the lovely girl with a critical eye. When she smiled her approval, the older Lady said, "Tina, you look so lovely. I remember the Maura's first ball. You look much more relaxed."

Maura laughed, "You know why, Mother. I did not want to go. I would have rather stayed in my room reading. Tina wants to go. Is that not right, child?"

Tina smiled and replied, "Yes, Mother Maura, I do so want to go. I want to dance and eat cake."

The statuesque brunette laughed heartily at the child's frankness and responded, "Then, we must hurry. The guests are starting to arrive and we must be in line to greet them."

The happy redhead giggled, "Yes, Mother Constance, we mustn't keep our guests waiting."

The small girl took her skirts and lifted chin and walked regally out of her room with four older women laughing behind her.

***SE***

Jane rode into the outskirts of the Carrollton district and asked her young charge, "Do y'all know war y'all's cousin lives?"

Melody nodded and handed the tough cowhand a folded envelop with a return address. The pair stopped an apple vendor on the street and asked for directions. The startled vendor said, "This is a red light house. Why'd such innocent girls like ya wont to go to place like that."

The tall Texan saw the shocked look on her friend's face and asked, "Y'all shore about that? My friend's cousin says that's her boardinhouse."

The man nodded and replied, "It is a boardinhouse. Only it boards whores."

Jane purchased two apples and handed one to her young friend and said, "Come wit me. We're agoin to St. Charles Avenue. I gots bidness thar."

The pair rode up to the address of Isles Shipping and dismounted. Jane called for a negro boy and paid a dollar for him to watch her mounts and their belongings. The worldly Texan trusted very few people and none of them were around here.

The dusty women entered the large office building and went to the front desk. The bold Italian said, "I'm Jane Rizzoli. I'm cheer to see Daniel Trosclair."

The man at the front desk wore a blue uniform much like a soldier or a doorman. He laughed, "Shore, yar the infamous Jane Rizzoli. Get out of cheer girl before I gets mean."

The veteran scrapper pulled her toothpick and shoved it under the amazed man's chin. Jane said quietly and evenly, "Mister, I jest rode fer two weeks to get cheer, so I'm runnin short of patience cheer. So iffin y'all want to keep y'all's hair, then I'd be gettin Mr. Trosclair."

The frightened man ran the bell twice at this station, unwilling to move too quickly while the knife's point was biting into her chin. After about a minute, a short weather beaten man in an expensive suit entered the greeting area. The graying man looked uncomfortable in his suit, like he was not used to it. When he spotted the knife piercing his greeter's chin, he asked, "Could you kindly remove the knife from Nat's chin and tell me what's going on."

Sliding the knife point gently along the curvature of the man's chin, the dark Texan replied, "My name's Jane Rizzoli and I'm cheer ta go ta England."

The well dressed outdoorsman inquired, "Was it necessary to hold Nat at knife point?"

The tough young woman shrugged her shoulders and answered, "He dint believe my name and threatened to do me harm. So, I had to show him my bonefidees."

Jane pulled her letter of introduction from her coat pocket and handed it to the former sea captain. The weather worn man read the letter and stated, "Well, I'll be damned. So, you're Jane Rizzoli. I have standing orders to give ya anything ya want."

Taking back her letter, the weary warrior said, "I wont two tickets to England and a hundred English pounds. I'll pay y'all in sugar when I gets back. Oh and I almost forgot, I need y'all to send a sugar maker to a friend of mine west of Lake Charles. He's startin a mill."

The veteran sea captain shook his head and smiled, "Well, let's go to my office so I get the particulars."

***SE***

By New Year's Day, Jane and Melody were on an Isles ship headed to Swansea. Captain Prescott had just made port with two more diaries. When he heard that Jane wanted to go to England, he volunteered to go back on the next tide. His cargo was quickly unloaded and his stores were even more quickly replenished.

Jane had had just enough time to get the recommended special stores, so as not to burden the crew's rations. The wily Texan had purchased ten hens and a rooster, three live steers, five pigs, three turkeys, ten pounds of coffee, three tins of tea, twenty tins of saltine crackers, ten pints of preserves, five cases of canned beans, three cases of canned potatoes, three cases of canned peaches, ten cases of canned pork and two cases of canned sardines. The smart businesswoman sent her horse and mules back with the sugar maker as a gift for her new partner.

In addition to her trunk of clothes and small box of jewelry, the lovely Italian had her three sets of buckskins, two rifles, six pistols and four knives. The careful teenager had two kegs of black powder, ten bars of lead, one hundred cartridges for pistols, a bullet mold, two cleaning kits and two powder horns.

Melody really didn't want to go to England, but she couldn't think of what else to do. Her cousin had deceived her. It seems the woman had become a madam and was trying to get her virgin cousin to come so as to take advantage of her. It was sad, but common tale. The twelve year old didn't really have enough clothing for the trip, so Jane bought the young girl a used trunk, five dresses off the rack, ten pair of stockings, ten pair of bloomers and two pairs of shoes.

The veteran Indian fighter, toughest cowhand in West Texas and best rider in the West got seasick. The poor girl spent the first six days throwing up her meals over the side of the ship. Captain Prescott joked and teased the girl, who had once held him at knife point. Melody, on the other hand, took to sea life like she was born to it.

The men treated the twelve year old like a long lost sister, while she mended their clothes and cooked their meals. Their regular cook was okay, but Melody was an artist in the kitchen. The young woman made salted beef, potatoes, carrots and peas into a magnificent meal.

Jane was still having difficulties, when pirates came with a cure. For several months, now, pirates had been raiding shipping off the Cuban coast. Captain Prescott had managed to avoid trouble with them for over year, but now they had caught his scent and were trying to catch him.

The pirates had three ships, which were faster and between them better armed. The captain told Jane, "Miss Rizzoli, I don't think I'll be able to shake these ships. They be gainin on us every hour. Soon, they'll be able to fire on us with their nine inchers. I wont to skirt the coast and drop you and Miss Melody off in Cuba. There ya kin catch a ship outta Havana."

Jane moaned, "Show me."

As they left their cabin, Jane took her .70 caliber Sharps, powder horns and sack of balls with her. The wily captain pointed at the three ships about a mile behind them. Jane knelt and tossed some dust into the air. Then, the veteran warrior started to climb the top mast to the crow's nest. The worried captain shouted, "War y agoin, Miss Rizzoli?"

Jane smiled, "I'm agoin to stop those boats."

Once up in the crow's nest, the experienced markswoman tested the wind again. The expert rifle shot loaded her Sharps, took aim at the closest ship and fired. The shot sailed for over two seconds before it struck the helmsman in the chest knocking him backwards.

Without the sailor to keep the rudder from turning the ship veered windward forcing the ship to left to avoid the rudderless ship. While that ship was causing havoc, Jane took a second shoot and again a helmsman was knocked backwards by the ball's impact. The second ship veered into the third ship that had been so busy avoiding the first ship it had ran right into the second ship.

The third ship rammed the second ship and punched a hole in its keel. Additionally the impact was so great that the third ship had become lodged into the second ship. However, the first ship had recovered. A new helmsman had his ship back on course.

Knowing that each helmsman she shot would be replaced by another driver, Jane found another target. A large man was shouting orders to the other men. Her third shot blew the now silent man from his shoes. The other men started shouting at each in obvious confusion.

Jane took advantage of this confusion and fired her fourth shot, which knocked another man to the ground. One after another, men were being blown to the ground by the large caliber bullets. With one officer and seven sailors down, the final ship gave up and retreated from view.

The wild Texas fighter climbed down to a cheering crew. The dark brunette smiled at all the fuss and said, "I'm glad they came it cured my seasickness."

***SE***

Her thirteenth birthday and Jane's fifteenth had passed without any word from America. The two young women had promised each other gifts for their respective birthdays. Though Maura had sent her gift, none had arrived from Texas. The wealthy Lady was considering visiting Texas.

Maura wasn't kidding herself; she knew she wanted desperately to see her friend. However, she had a very real fear. What if Jane didn't love her, like she loved the dark Texan? What if the wild American was repulsed by a young woman who would love another woman?

The more the honey blonde considered it; the more she convinced herself that Jane would hate her for feeling as she did. The young noblewoman was inconsolable. Even Tina could get through to her new mother. Maura moped around the house writing morbidly into her diaries and crying herself to sleep at night, while rereading Jane's old letter looking for clues of her true feelings.

Maura would wake up in the morning to a warm six year old holding her in her new daughter's desperate attempt to make her mother happy. Things started getting worse when the honey blonde started missing meals and staring into space, looking for something.

No matter how poorly she felt personally, the Lady didn't let her business suffer. Each day, the elite businesswoman would pour over report after report. Then the young heiress would write letter after letter to her managers. Each day, Lady Maura would develop some incite that would make the already successful company more successful.

Once the director's meeting had went off without any difficulty and for the first time in months, Maura had no real worries. The intelligent blonde saw no reason why she could go to America and would have if Georgina hadn't come running into her study shouting, "You have to come quickly, Milady. The constable is at the gate. He says its important."

When Maura arrived at the gate, she stopped abruptly. The stunned honey blonde couldn't believe her eyes. Standing next to the shaking constable was a laughing sea captain and a tall Texan in buckskins training a pistol on the terrified policeman.

***SE***

The Isles ship arrived in Swansea with a repaired mast from a terrible storm off the Canary Islands and an anxious brunette. The captain explained that they would be most of the day getting into port as the ship had to piloted in by the port authority. Jane was extremely excited and was pacing up and down her small cabin. Melody was becoming very impatient by the rhythmic march.

The thirteen year-old, the young woman had had her thirteen birthday aboard this ship as Jane had had her fifteenth asked, "Janie, kin y'all stop that thar marchin. Y'all drive me to my cups in a minute."

The worried Texan sat heavily on her bunk and look like she was about to jump off the ship. Melody had to ask, "Wat's wrong, Janie? Ain't y'all happy y'all cheer?"

The dreadfully terrified youth answered with a question that had been nagging at her over a month, "Wat iffin she's mad about me comin? I mean she dint invite me. I mean wat iffin she hates me. I couldn't take that. I mean I love her so much and it's been so long. Maybe she's done hitched. I knows they wonten her to hitch. Wat iffin she thinks bad of me? Wat were I thinkin?"

Melody nearly laughed as she said, "Hold up, Janie. Look at all the nice thins she sent y'all and dint y'all tell me that Mr. Conrad thought she sent 'em to y'all so's y'all'd come?"

The young brunette seemed a bit consoled when she answered, "Yeah, he said that. He dint know for shore, but he thought so. So y'all think I did rat by comin chere?"

Melody reached for her friend's hand and replied, "I never knew y'all to do a wrong thin in y'all's life, Janie."

The dark Texan answered, "Wal, y'all not known me fer long."

***SE***

When they made port, Jane was waiting at the gang plank with her rifle and all her arms. The dark warrior had one small bag with her and Melody had volunteered to stay behind and organize the luggage for its trip to Isles Manor. The captain was still trying to convince the wild American to leave her weapons behind. He kept telling her about gun laws in England.

The rough and wooly Texan wouldn't listen and walked off the ship fully armed the minute the gang plank was in place. The anxious sea captain was right behind her still trying to get her to understand about English gun laws. Suddenly, an English constable in full uniform approached the young American in her deerskins and said, "See here, young woman, you can't go armed like that. You must surrender your guns to me immediately."

Jane pulled a Le Mat from its belt holster and held it on the now stuttering policeman. The cold look, the wild Texan gave the constable made the man wet his pants. The horrified police officer swallowed his words as he said, "See here, you can't do that. I'm the constable in Swansea and if I have to I will arrest you."

Jane smiled and answered with the wave of her pistol, "Arrest away."

The sea captain started laughing and laughed all the way to Isles Manor.

**Author's Note: I wrote the last 4000 words after 2 pm. Sorry for any problems. Still no beta readers.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Talk about life interfering with art! My monitor went south and I had to get a new one. I bought it off ebay and it took forever to get here. So, sorry I haven't been updating. I have been writing. I handwrote chapters in both my stories. So, here it is a little late.**

Chapter 8: Happiness is Moments

Maura couldn't believe her eyes; the young Texan was standing at her gate with her gun pointed at the Constable. The young heiress knew she had to act quickly and said, "Jane put that pistol away. I am so sorry Constable, but my friend is new to this country and is not familiar with our law. If you do not mind, let me take care of educating her. I assure you that she will not carry her firearms in town. Please come in Constable and have dinner with us."

The honey blonde Lady stood in place as Hugh led the still stunned Constable to the kitchens, where he would be treated like nobility. The large bodyguard knew what his Lady wanted and he would insure the staff gave it to her. By the time the good Constable left Isles Manor, he would have forgotten his indignity at the hands of the wild American.

Jane walked through the gate smiling at her long absent friend as she holstered her Le Mat. Her insecurity began to make her falter as she neared her favorite person in the world. Would the young Lady be upset with her for intruding? Had the tall Texan misinterpreted the letters and gifts? Would the dark teenager be welcome or run out with by a garden hoe?

Lady Isles stood rooted in her spot about twenty steps from the gate. As the lovely curly haired brunette approached, the Lady's insecurities surfaced and she was totally unsure of what to do. Would the dark beauty rebuff her for her forward letters? Would the one person in the world she needed cast her aside? Had life given her a gift only to take it away?

Suddenly, as if a bell chimed to mark the moment, the two young women bolted to each other's arms to embrace each other and never let go. Jane held her honey blonde friend tightly as she whispered, "I heared about y'all's paw and come as fast as I could. I'm so surry. I liked that old man. He war aces in my book."

Maura cried into the warm chest of this wonderful soul, who only she understood. Everyone saw the rough tough Indian fighter and plainswoman, woven from the fabric of her time and hostile environment. What everyone did not see was the tender and warm person underneath; the person that would protect anyone unable to protect themselves; the person that would travel thousands of miles to comfort a friend who had lost her father. No one saw the depth of emotion that roared beneath the stoic brunette's icy surface. Everyone saw the warning signs and not the need for people to ignore them.

The concerned Texan saw felt the tear and sobbing and released her grip and asked, "Am I hurtin y'all? I sometimes don't know my own strength."

The young heiress nearly laughed as she said, "Let us not be silly. I am crying for joy at seeing you. You would never hurt me. I am just so happy to see you. For you to travel so long and so far just to comfort me brings on the most joy I have ever felt and the emotions that invokes are what is making me cry. I am so glad to see you. You have no idea how glad I am to see you. You do know I love you."

The tall brunette used two fingers to raise the head of the smaller young woman so she could look into her eyes as she said, "I'd've come further if need be. I ain't good with words laik y'all is. But I's good at doin. I war ahopin I war ashowin y'all how much I love y'all."

At that moment, the golden heiress reached behind the brunette locks of the tall Texan and brought her tender lips to her own. The moment was perfect.

***SE***

The dynamic kiss was too much for either teenager. Neither young woman had ever felt such emotions. The two broke their embrace and looked into each other's eyes to determine each other's real feelings. Both young women knew what they were feeling was real, was perfect. With the magic moment passed the young couple moved apart still not wanting the world to intrude on their moment.

However, time had the nasty habit of moving onward and Maura could sense that the moment had already passed. With nothing better to say, the honey blonde heiress inquired, "Would you like to meet my mother?"

The smiling American replied, "Why shore! I'd love to meet y'all's maw. Y'all ain't mad at me fer comin?"

The shocked noblewoman was totally confounded, after that kiss how could this puzzling Texan think she would not want her here. Lady Maura took Jane by her arm and led her toward the stately manor house. As they walked the frustrated English Lady said, "Jane, you are more than welcome here anytime and in case my greeting was not clear enough, I want you here."

The mismatched pair walked to the main house with the young heiress's arms locked firmly around the tough brunette's strong right arm. The loquacious noblewoman shattered, "You must tell me all about your trip and how your family is doing. How are your father and mother? I so liked your father; he is such a dear. The man growls a lot, but he really is just a big old toothless bear."

The laughing Texan had to interrupt, "I don't think my Pa, would take kindly to be called 'toothless.' He likes to think of hisself as bein as ornery as a grizzly and just as deadly. My brothers ere givin Ma all she kin handle. Frankie's agonna on four and Tommy's about three."

To change the subject and get away from her life, the wild American asked, "I heared y'all got some trouble wit y'all's hired hep. Iffin y'all like I could hep y'all wit it. I kin whop a few heads and make 'em toe the mark."

Lady Maura brightened at the prospect of the hard-nosed Texas cowhand bashing down her troublesome directors. So the young heiress responded, "Jane, you brighten my day. I will certainly call upon your help. I can use all the help I can get. However, I'm sure you are exhausted from your long journey. So why don't we talk to my mother and then I can show you to your room!

***SE***

Lady Constance Isles was reading her latest periodical called _Household Words, _a weekly journal by the renowned Charles Dickens reclining on the chaise in her sitting room adjacent to her bedroom. The statuesque noblewoman was enthralled in her reading, when it was interrupted by a discrete knock on her chamber door.

The stately brunette had obviously been expecting someone else as she answered, "Gina, come in I'm not entertaining anyone. I would so like some company."

The older Lady's daughter looked in through the slightly open door and said, "It is I, Mother. I have a surprise. You do remember my telling you about my friend Jane?"

The older woman adjusted her lounging gown and replied, "Why yes, I do remember how infatuated you are with her correspondence. Has more mail come from America?"

The happy heiress responded, "Yes, Mother and more."

The smiling teenager opened the door widely and announced, "I would like to introduce to you, my friend and fellow correspondent, Jane Clementine Rizzoli of Texas."

The startled noblewoman watched as a tall young woman with curly black hair wearing buckskins and carrying several firearms and other weapons entered the room. Lady Constance scanned the dark teenager with an appraising eye. The youngster stood almost six feet tall and was lean and muscled.

The wild Texan wore fringed brown buckskin pants which belled over tall boots with two inch heels and spurs. Her figure was hidden by the large long-sleeved fringed buckskin tunic that covered her from her neck to the middle of her thigh. The young woman carried a large round brim black hat with brass studs.

However, the most striking of her features were her large chocolate brown eyes that held an age much older than teenage years. This dark American's eyes had seen things that had hardened this young woman to tempered edge. The hard-bitten teen had a gun belt with a holster at each hip and one at her belt buckle, each holster housed a pistol. Two bandoleers of bullets exed across her chest with a shoulder holster housing a pistol dangled under each arm.

Where the two bandoliers crossed hung a large sheath that house a knife with a large bone handle. The other obvious weapon was the tomahawk that swung from her belt. If there ever was a woman designed for battle, the Lady had just seen her.

The fine Lady quickly recovered her wits and as she rose from her chaise, the polite Ladyship said, "I'm so happy to meet you. I have heard so many fine things about you. You have no more ardent admirer than my daughter and my late-husband spoke so fondly of you. I can say you were the last person I expected through my door today. However, no one is more welcome."

The normally outgoing Texan was at a loss as she blushed in embarrassment. Unfamiliar with the graces of English nobility, the rough American reached out her hand to be shaken. The English Lady unfamiliar with the nuances of Texas etiquette placed her fingertips upon the tall brunette coarse hand. Proper English etiquette would be for the young lady to place her thumb over the noblewoman's fingers and curtsy. The Italian-American teenager didn't know this. So the inexperienced courtier grabbed the elegant woman's soft hand and shook it in a manly fashion.

Lady Constance felt like her hand was in a vise and as she had never shaken a hand before, the tender woman didn't know to squeeze back to lessen the pressure. Her only reaction was to flinch in pain. The insightful American saw the pain in the graceful Lady's face and pulled her hand back saying, "I'm sore sorry. I dint mean to hurt y'all. Sometimes I don't knows my own strength."

Not wanting to hurt the young woman's feelings and confident in the teenager's apology, the young mother replied, "I am sorry as well. I thought you knew how to greet properly. Maura, please show our guest the proper response, so as not to embarrass her in the future."

The stylish noblewoman held out her hand to her daughter, who took the hand placed her thumb over the fingers and curtsied very properly. This elicited a very odd response from the rough Texan, she laughed. Jane laughed the laugh of the totally amused. The amused American's head tilted back and a belly laugh erupted from deep inside her, as she coughed, "I ain't adoin no such thin. Ma'am I'm rat respectful, but I ain't about to bow and scrap to nobody. Iffin I war to do that I'd be pure ashamed of myself."

Now absolutely confused and appalled at the poor manners of this heathen, the good Lady responded, "Young woman, you must learn better manners. You must learn to respect those of higher station. Maura, until such time as your friend learns proper respect for my dignity, I want her elsewhere."

The young noblewoman was devastated by the catastrophe that had occurred. Lady Maura knew the independent nature of her American friend and that the wild Texan would defend her pride with a fierceness that her mother would never understand. The honey blonde heiress desperately tried to salvage the situation by saying, "Mother, my friend is an American. There are no titles in America and though they may treat us with respect, Americans will never treat nobility with difference. Jane was not insulting you. Her handshake was a typical American greeting and her laughter was that of the innocent. Our customs were as humorous to her as hers is to us. Now, please welcome my friend. I beg you. She is very important to me."

Jane interrupted, "Ma'am, I meant no disrespect. I dint knowed twere so important to y'all."

The tough Texan took the Lady's fingers gently with thumb and forefinger and bowed politely. The bow was simple, but heartfelt. Jane caught Lady Maura's eyes and winked. The elegant mother smiled at this compromise and saw the relief in her daughter's face. Combining that look with her daughter's plead made the graceful noblewoman realize her child was in love. Her lovely daughter was in love with a rough cowgirl from Texas. Lady Constance was suddenly very concerned and requested, "Thank you, Jane. I am very appalled at my lack of manners. You have travelled all the way from Texas and must be very tired and feeling very dirty."

Noticing Gina and her daughters in the hallway, the well-manner Lady ordered, "Gina, could you have one of your daughters show our guest to the room adjoining Lady Maura's suite. Have her a bath drawn and send up something from the kitchen. Jane, could you accompany Gina and her girls? Maura will join you presently. I need to discuss some business matters before dinner."

The confused Texan unsure as how to respond to the sudden turn of events, shrugged her shoulders and drawled, "Shore, I needs a bath anywho."

Gina and her daughters curtsied to the young woman and the two teenage maids led the tall Texan off to her quarters. Gina stayed behind sensing her lover needed some moral support. Lady Constance noted her longtime lover's reaction and requested, "Maura, could I speak to you privately. Gina, I know you are concerned, but I assure you that I can handle this situation on my own."

The Lady Maura shook her head and said, "No Mother, I think in this case your lover should be present when you chastise me for having feelings for another woman. I think your female lover of long standing should know how you feel about Sapphics.

Mother, have I ever condemned you for your feelings toward another woman and a servant. Do you think your affair is a secret in our circles? Did you think Father never knew?

I can tell you honestly. Father knew and he never begrudged you the happiness that Gina afforded you. He understood how you felt and knew that you married him out of necessity not love. As for our social circle, everyone knows. They laugh behind your back, while smiling to your face. However, the laughter is not your lover's sex, but at her class. They think it appalling that a Lady of your grace and stature should have a servant as a lover.

As for myself, I applaud your happiness. Happiness is not an abundant commodity. Happiness is moments, not spans of time. Happiness is there and then it is gone, just a memory that one can cherish for a lifetime. When one looks back on one's life, one realizes one only remembers the happy moments and relishes them. I want some of those moments, Mother. Jane gives me those precious moments. Do you begrudge me that?"

Shame crossed the gracious Lady's face as she realized many things. The statuesque brunette looked to her lifelong lover with tears of regret running down her face. The stylish noblewoman asked her love, "Gina, did you know about the gossip?"

The lovely servant nodded her knowledge and sobbed. The elegant Lady asked, "Gina, are you ashamed of us?"

The shocked Frenchwoman ran to her lover and cast herself into her arms and said without any reservation, "Jamais, je t'aime de tout mon coeur et âme." _Never, I love you with all my heart and soul._

The great Lady tilted her lovers head up and they met in a passionate kiss and all of Lady Constance's objections melted away. However, there was one more reservation the loving mother must express. So when there loving kiss ceased, the noble woman asked, "What about a husband Maura? Surely, one day you will marry and have children."

The intelligent young woman answered, "Mother, I never intended to marry. Were I to marry any husband would by law become my Lord. I would lose all my power and influence. I can never marry as the laws exist today. I can adopt as you and father did. Again, did you think me ignorant in my parentage? I have known for years that I am adopted. Servants gossip, Mother. I do not know and am uninterested in who my biological parents are. You and Father are all the parents I have ever known and will ever need. For the second time today, I must state that which must be obvious. I love you, Mother. I love you as any daughter loves her mother."

With that said, the dignified young Lady turned and left her mother to find some new moments of her own.

***SE***

Jane followed the two young teens in their maid costumes to a large room filled with odd furniture and large paintings. The tired Texan said, "Could y'all show me war I'm asleepin, cause I'm pure dee tuckered out?"

Georgina replied as she pointed to a doorway across the room, "Mademoiselle, your bedroom is through that door. This is your sitting room. A bath will be here shortly. Your trunk is in your bedroom. If you wish anything; pull that cord by the fireplace and either Bridgette or myself will come to help you. Will you require assistance with your bath?"

The indignant Texan frowned, "I shorely don't need no help bathin. I've been abathin sinct I war three, but I thank y'all kindly fer askin."

As if on cue, a friendly and well-known face came into the room carrying a copper tub and four women followed him, each carrying two barrels of hot water. The two French maids disappeared into the bedroom for a moment and returned with the heavy trunk, two fragrant bars of soap, a scrub brush and two large towels. They placed the items on a small table next to the bath of scalding water and asked, "Would mademoiselle like to have her back scrubbed?"

The shy American blushed as she answered, "Like I said, I warsh myself. Now, y'all skidattle whilst I warsh up."

All the servants left. Hugh bowed with a smirk and laughed heartily as he retreated from the room. The veteran bodyguard was going to find this visit by the rugged American very amusing. The tender hearted man also knew his Lady needed this young woman more than anything she ever needed in her young life. The tough protector had seen the loneliness his charge had suffered over the years and knew that this outrageous Texan could cure it.

After the door was closed, the tall brunette started removing her clothes. Suddenly remembering where she was, the hardy huntress went to her trunk and removed the evening gown, frilly underwear, petticoats, stockings and fancy shoes, but she refused to wear that corset and bustle. The tall Texan loved the honey blonde noblewoman, but in good conscious she could only go so far.

After laying out her change of clothes on the chaise, the now naked brunette eased herself into the steaming cauldron. With a deep sigh, the now relaxed teenager started the process of scrubbing four months of travel off her lithe body. At that moment the door opposite her bedroom door opened. Jane called out, "I told y'all I dint need no hep."

A familiar voice replied, "You never told me any such thing."

One word crossed the suddenly helpless Texan, "Maura."

***SE***

The honey blonde teenager asked shyly, "Do you need me to scrub your back?"

The naked Texan was taken by surprise and was really intrigued by the notion, but was too shy for such intimacy just yet. So the robust youth replied, "I think I kin handle this part, but I'm agonna ta need hep putting on all those frilly thangs."

The younger teen walked to where the deeply tanned brunette was bathing and suggested, "I could scrub your back much better than you can do on your own. I have had maids scrubbing my back since I can remember. I would so dearly love to scrub that gorgeous back of yours."

The young American was having feeling deep in her womb that she had never had before. The rough and tumble huntress suddenly felt like prey and her body was telling her to accept the offer. However, the tall Italian-American was too confused to answer either way. When the honey blonde arrived, she snatched the brush from her dark friend's hand and started rubbing scented soap into it.

Slowly the younger teen gently scrubbed the tanned young woman's back. A small almost purr escaped the confused Texan's lips. The tough huntress knew that this could go no further, but the lonely lady couldn't say no to anything this English noblewoman asked of her. The wild American had always been a free spirit, but now she was completely under this tender innocent's control and for the life of her Jane didn't understand why.

The nipples of her taunt firm breast hardened and grew. The independent Texan's breath became a pant and her flesh became hot and wanton. The itch between her legs became a scream for more sensation. The turmoil in her mind was conflicting with the certainty of her body.

The rhythm motion and sensation of the soft bristles on her skin was muddling Jane's thoughts and if the young woman didn't do something soon there would be no turning back. As quick as a rattler the bewildered American seized the brush and said, "I think my back be clean."

It was then that the mystified teenager noticed the red flush complexion of the honey blonde. The embarrassed cowhand knew that the young heiress had felt the attraction as well. Furthermore, the untamed huntress knew that the innocent English Lady was just as confused and unsure as she was; when the honey blonde said, "You are correct. I have to change for dinner. I will send Bridgette in to assist you in dressing."

The suddenly uncomfortable teenager scrambled from the room. The youthful noblewoman had never felt such powerful emotions nor had her body ever had such a reaction. Lady Maura Isles now knew what it was like to have desire and passion, which was a new experience for both the young women.

***SE***

Lady Maura had a surprise waiting for her when she arrived in the dining room for dinner. Gina was sitting at Mother's right hand in a very elegant evening gown of pink with rose trim. It was very becoming on her. On my mother's left, sat Georgina dressed in one of the gown I given her and next to her sat Bridgette, equal clothed in one of her older gowns. The two sisters had many of her old gowns, as the wealthy noblewoman made it a practice never to dress in the same gown twice.

Lady Constance interpreted the bewilderment on her daughter's face and said, "Maura, I took your words to heart. You were so correct in your assessment. I have treated someone I love very dearly as a servant. I mean to remedy that oversight by making her part of our family.

You will sit in your father's place at the head of the table, as befits the rightful heir to Swansea and have I placed my new family about me. I hope you will take Georgina and Bridgette into your heart as sisters should.

Additionally, you were also correct about your assessment of happiness and if this young woman can provide you with a lifetime of moments then she should be by you as well. Therefore, I took the liberty of assigning her the seat to your right. I hope these arrangements meet your approval."

The emotional heiress was overcome with happiness. For years, the honey blonde Lady had felt the injustice of her two lifelong friends being her servants. Now that they could be called 'sister' felt so right. Too overwhelmed by the passion of the moment, the young teenager ran to her mother and hugged her deeply with tears running down her cheek.

Subsequently, the bright noblewoman went to Gina and hugged her and asked, "Do you mind if I call you Mother Gina?"

The words meant so much to Frenchwoman that she could hardly speak. With tears streaming down her face, she answered simply, "Oui."

After that Lady Maura went to each of her new 'sisters' and hugged them calling them each sister. While the tearful teenager was wiping tears from her eyes and walking to the head of the table, a vision in green and gold strode boldly into the room. Years of riding, roping and hunting had made the tough Texan's walk light, silent and manly. Whatever her bearing, her beauty was extraordinary. Her long curly raven hair framed her tanned face and highlighted her soft chocolate eyes.

The sleek slinky figure was obvious in the form fitting dress. Her height and natural grace gave her the look of a thoroughbred. There was no denying that the young woman striding into the dining room was a vision of beauty. Lady Maura stopped in her tracks and gazed longingly on the lovely apparition before her. It was Lady Constance who broke the silence when she said, "My dear, you clean up magnificently. You are by far the most beautiful creature that America has ever produced. Please come in and dine with us. You will sit on Maura's right."

There were twenty-six chairs situated around the table. Of which only six would be occupied. This arrangement seemed wasteful to the thrifty Texan, who had always had to use everything until it could no longer be used. The younger Lady was awoken from her slumber by her mother's words and started again toward her seat.

Jane having been told she would be sitting by her lovely friend strode in direction. As the uncomfortable American moved in the direction of her seat, she asked, "Who ere the other chars fer?"

The seated Lady laughed and replied, "No one, dear. They are for company, should they arrive. This is the family dining room. The formal dining room has a larger table that seats seventy-four, normally and can be expanded to seat one-hundred and two. It is reserved for parties and formal dinners."

The number of chairs was staggering to untamed Texan, whose town of Dallas numbered just a bit more than that. Except for her time in Washington, the lonely huntress had never seen that number of people in one place. Jane shyly asked, "Ma'am why dontcha'll come down ta this end, soin we don't has to holler cross the room? Or weins'd sally on down to y'all, either way makes mo' sense then havin two sets of people on end tuther."

The younger noblewoman stopped three steps from her chair; thought for a moment and walked around her waiting seat to go sit beside Gina. Gina seeing what was happening moved the other side of the table to sit by her daughters. The two daughters seeing what Gina was doing moved over one seat. As the honey blonde Lady passed her friend, she took her hand to lead her to a seat beside her.

When everyone was seated comfortably, the Deville family sat to the left of Lady Constance with Maura and Jane sitting to her right. Jane smiled as she commented, "Now, ain't this here better then palabering cross the room?"

***SE***

The dinner went so smoothly. At first the servants were shocked at the lack of formality of the meal, but soon compensated for it. Jane had a couple of problems with all the silverware. There seemed to a fork or spoon for each course served. Again, the tough Texans had been raised in a society where having a knife, fork and spoon was luxury. Fortunately the silverware was arranged in such a manner, that one had only to start at the outside of the arrangement and work your way inward toward your plate.

After each course, the hungry American would ask for a second portion. After six courses, the amazed mother asked, "Child, where are you putting all that food? You are so slender and yet you eat like a starved sailor."

Jane smiled her famous Rizzoli smile and replied, "Ma'am, war I comes from, y'all eats tils y'all busts cause y'all mighten have anything to eat tomorry."

The Deville mother laughed, "I know of such worry, Lady Constance. I too have had times when meals were scarce. Habits of a lifetime are hard to break, Milady."

The older noblewoman smiled genuinely at her lover and responded, "Now, when we are together informally like this I will have you call me Constance as you do in private. So please think of us as family in such settings. As for you young lady, as long as you are staying with us food will be in abundance, so there will be no need for you to store away meals for lean times."

The black Texan chuckled as she answered, "Wal, ma'am, I'm just aeatin good grub. Iffin I war really eatin like no tomorry than I'd done et mo."

Lady Maura, who had been taking a drink of wine, nearly choking as she chuckled in the middle of swallowing. Coughing lightly into her napkin caused the tall American to get up from her seat to tap lightly on her friend's back. Appalled servants dashed to their Lady's rescue, only to be repulsed by a single glare from the dangerous-looking young woman in the silk gown that barely concealed the caged violence under the fine clothing.

Lady Maura knew if her servants had made a move toward either of them in any kind of threatening manner, the ever ready for battle Texan would hurt them. So to disarm the situation and demonstrate the danger her house guest posed to the unwary, the crafty noblewoman waved off her friend and proclaimed, "I am fine, Jane. You may return o your seat."

The ever-observant heiress did not fail to notice the glaring exchange between her violent friend and her faithful staff. The only one out not to react was her body guard, Hugh, because he knew Jane well and understood the depth of her feelings for the honey blonde teenager. To stress the danger the unpredictable American posed, the intelligent younger Lady asked, "Jane, how many weapons are you carrying at this very moment?"

The wary warrior swallowed a bite of pheasant then answered frankly and innocently, "Eight."

A shocked older Lady inquired, "Eight? Where can you possibly be concealing so many weapons while dress in that gown."

The smirking Texan replied as if the answer to the question was obvious, "Why ma'am this getup's easy to hide weapons in. Thar's so much extry room. I'm acarryin my gun belt around my waist with its three Le Mats. I cut slits in the sides of my gown so's to draw my pistols. These puffed sleeves are hidin my two sleeve guns. I have another pepper pot in my purse. I gots a toothpick at my back collar by the middle of my neck and I gots another knife in my right boot. I'd arm mo, but I dint think it necessary seeing how I was jest comin to dinner.

The four women opposite them, who were unfamiliar with the violence of the Western United States were shocked and Gina asked, "Why do you go armed like that, where there are no wild Indians her?"

Jane shook her head in pity and replied, "Ma'am, there mightent be no Comanche, but there are always Injuns. Otherwise, why would you need the big guys over there?"

***SE***

The next morning Lady Maura had a meeting with the bank investors at 10 am in their offices in Swansea. Hugh led the way through the crowded streets, clearing a wide path for his Lady and her friend.

When the small party arrived at the bank, there were kept waiting. Finally at 10:50, Jane had had enough. The bad tempered Texan walked past the stunned receptionist and into the bank's large comfortable office, yelling, "Mister, Lady Maura ain't awaitin anymo. She'll be agonna home now and lookin fer a new bank."

The heavy-set older man shouted, "Excuse me, but might you be?"

The tall Texan just gave the man her best smile and said, "Mister, I ain't nobody, but y'all ain't gonna've the Isles bidness anymo."

A second thinner older man excitedly responded, "Why would the Isles family remove their business? We were just trying to discuss terms with one another before taking up any more of the good Lady's time."

The smirking brunette shook her head from side to side with a heavy sigh and explained, "No, y'all wernt. Y'all figgered that wit a young teenager y'all jest had to wat her out and git better terms. Y'all figgered iffin y'all made her wat, she'd git impatient and come to y'all's terms. I's seen y'all's kind afore, when sellin cattle. The buyers sets on his money ahopin the seller gits antsy and sells fer less. Wal tain't gonna work, cause Lady Maura's patient, but I ain't so's we ain't wating anymo. Good luck ta y'all."

Then the oldest frailest man the dark teenager had ever seen asked, "What do you want, girl?"

Having baited the trap and let it crash on their heads the sneering American replied, "First off, Mister, I ain't been a girl since I kilt me a buffalo. Second, I don't wont anything. Y'all does. Now, the question is how much y'all wont it?"

The tiny delicate old man chuckled, "Nice trap. Okay, we will cede interest for the first six months in order to compensate Lady Isles for her inconvenience. Will that satisfy her Ladyship?"

The savvy businesswoman answered, "I'll axe her."

As the brunette hunter left the room with her scalps in hand, she heard the fragile older gentleman say to someone, "Benny, you're a good grandson, but you're fired. It was you play, so you have to fall on your sword for it. In six months, I'll reconsider."

***SE***

Lady Maura was getting impatient, but the cagy businesswoman knew she could not show any weakness. So the party of three sat and waited. The longer they waited the more angry the honey blonde noblewoman was getting. The young teenager knew they would have never tried this stupid stunt with her father. What made even more galling was they were trying it because they saw a young female as a weak person. Well, they were going to find out they were wrong.

The honey blonde businesswoman knew she couldn't do anything to speed this along; she was going to have to wait them out, even if it took well into the night. At that moment, Jane bolted from her seat and stormed past the bewilder clerk and into the banker's office.

The hot tempered Texan was only in the room a few minutes, when she returned with good news. For her inconvenience, the bank was ceded the first six months of interest on the three new ships. The concession was going to save Isles Shipping thousands of pounds.

The young Lady rose from her seat and walked gracefully and confidently into the bank manager's office. There were only two men in the room now and the older of the two said, "Have a seat, young ladies."

The two young women sat gracefully into the offered seats, while Hugh stood menacing at the door. The giant bodyguard knew he was superfluous today. Jane was a better bodyguard than ten of Big Hugh and Hugh knew it. He also knew that no one would take Jane seriously as a bodyguard, until she had beaten someone to a pulp or dead, but with a huge man standing behind them they would be taken seriously.

The junior of the two men explained the new terms and awaited the young heiress's answer, "I do not know if we can continue our association. It is not that I am insulted by your treatment. I know it was just business. However, it bothers me immensely that you think I am stupid. I do not know if my honor allows me to accept your kind proposal after such a clumsy attempt at influencing me."

The older gentleman responded, "I assure you that what is past is past. I suggest we have an early luncheon and discuss some additional concessions and maybe some future business."

The smiling Lady declared, "I would love a meal and what new business do you wish to discuss?"

The elderly banker answered, "Why don't we discuss that while we dine?

The brilliant blonde businesswoman replied, "I think we need to talk about this new business before we dine. Let me tell you what your new business idea is. You want me to set up a new account with your bank with funds from the three new ships plus the trading accounts in Swansea."

The wisp of a man nodded to himself and proclaimed, "I seemed to have underestimated you. I can cede much for such an arrangement."

Jane interrupted, "I'd betcha could. That deal'd netcha wat maybe thirty thousand of y'all's pounds a month? Yeah, I knows wat a ship of cargo'd bring a month, cause I jest sells the food and makes nine thousand American dollars. So's I figger a loaded ship brings at least twenty times that. Watch means one ship makes about thirty-six thousands pounds. Three ships for a three month trip nets y'all wat three thousand pounds. Then y'all's gotsta figger that the trade from this here port makes ten times that or thirty thousand pounds. Y'all haveta rally do somethin nice to git that deal. Maura, y'all wonta go. I'll buy y'all some lunch and weins kin look fer a new bank tomorry."

Lady Maura smiled, "Jane, you are quite close in your estimates. To be precise, however, the exact amount is forty-two thousand pounds per ship and the trap through Swansea is five hundred and ten pounds, which would net these gentlemen forty-six thousand pounds. Jane, dear, what would you think a good deal for me would be?"

The calculating Texan pretended to think for a moment and answered, "Wal, I'm not ral up on English deals, but iffin war me. I'd wont em ta finance those ships wit no interest. I'd wont the bank ta pay seven and half percent interest on all funds kept in thar bank. That'd clear em six thousand a month witout any risk on thar part."

The sly noblewoman lean forward and suggested, "I think I can live with seven, which will yield them nine thousands a month. Will you gentlemen write up the contracts to reflect this deal?"

The elderly banker sighed and nodded, "I'll have the papers ready to sign by the close of business."

The angry heiress snapped, "You will have the papers ready to sign by the time I get back from luncheon. Otherwise I will find another bank with which to do business. Am I clear?"

Both bankers nodded their acceptance, but before the young teenager left, she said, "If you gentlemen ever try another stunt like this morning, then I will buy this bank and fire all of you."

With that the two young women left the field of battle with a total victory.

***SE***

The two young women entered the tavern with their large shadow trailing behind. Jane in her elegant dress still didn't quite understand his purpose. Were the streets of Swansea so dangerous that the young noblewoman needed a omnipresent bodyguard? In West Texas, if any man even looked at a good woman wrong the town would hang him.

Besides no one was going to attack Maura as long as the tough Texan was breathing. It wasn't that Hugh wasn't a good man to have around in a fight, but it was hard talking with her new friend with the ever present shadow standing vigil and Jane really needed to talk to the young blonde about what she was feeling.

The gifted heiress hadn't felt the huge bodyguard's presence in years and didn't even notice his existence much anymore. It wasn't that the honey blonde teenager was callous about the older man; it was a matter of self-preservation. England in the middle nineteenth century was filled with cutthroats and thieves and his presence was necessary for her protection, but his continuous company would be disturbing if she were constantly marking his whereabouts.

Hugh was not happy with the choice of eating establishments. Sure, everyone who was asked said that this tavern/inn had the best food in the district, but it was frequented by some ruffians. Though it had a backroom area for woman and children, the women who ate here were of the lower caste, clerks, saleswomen, textile workers, et cetera. These were working women, who either didn't have the facilities to cook or the time to cook as they were working twelve to sixteen hours a day.

Though these women themselves were just good women trying to get something to eat, the men they attracted could be troublesome. Had not Jane Rizzoli been accompanying them, the cautious bodyguard would have voiced his concern, but the truth of the situation was that the wild Texan was the most dangerous person in the place.

A buxom young woman of Jane's age rushed to greet the strange party and said, "Miladies, you be too fine of ladies to soil yourselves in sitch a place as this. The lot here be rough and loud."

Lady Maura answered with a smile, "I am Lady Isles and this tavern is part of my fief. Please inform the owner, we would like his finest sweet meats, fruits, bread and cheese. My friend would like a pint of ale and I would like a nice port.

The mention of the Lady's title and name filled the innkeeper's daughter with more concern. Such personage was easily offended in her youthful experience. The fineness of their dresses confirmed their identity more than the Lady's words, which caused the young woman even more discomfort. The youth rushed to the best table in the family dining area and cleaned the table and chairs, so as not to soil their fine dresses.

As the group arrived at their designated table the nervous teenager offered, "I'll go git me Paw and git ya order. Please call out iffin ya need anythin."

The regal blonde replied with a nod and responded, "That is a good girl."

Jane interrupted, "Wait! Wat bout Hugh? Ain't y'all gittin him any grub? I think Hugh could use a beer and some food."

Maura was embarrassed; she had forgotten about her constant companion. Thinking back, the honey blonde had always taken his presence for granted. It wasn't in the tender teen's nature to treat people as non-existent, especially people she had grown to like, maybe even love.

Hugh saw the torment in his Lady's hazel eyes and said, "Miss Jane, I'm not insulted. I'm of low station and it ain't fittin fer me to eat with you ladies."

This comment made the young heiress feel even worse. A man the young noblewoman had come to consider family felt beneath her notice. Lady Maura ordered, "Bring my man a pint and a meat pie. Hugh, I am so sorry I have taken you for granted. I have come to think of you as a beloved uncle and I cannot bear to think of the injustice I have wrought upon you."

Hugh was touched by the sentiment. For in fact, he had come to think of his young charge as the daughter he would never have. So, the dark bodyguard reminded the Lady of a day some time back, "Lady Maura, I'm your man, not cause ya pay me, but cause of what a young girl did to save me frem meself.

Miss Jane, once wan the Lady war jest a wee lass, I gots into trouble that could've landed me in Newgate. Not only'd she keep me from prisen, but she hid it frem her father, so he wouldn't dismiss me. So my Lady may forget I'm around, but that's as it should be, cause it's me job to protect her witout interferrin. I kint do that iffin she's always alookin to see iffin I'm offended."

Jane replied, "That may be so, but seems to me, iffin a body starts takin thar friends fer granted than they's agonna fergit thar humanness. Me I'd rather not fergit my friends; they ain't easy to come by.

***SE***

The food was surprisingly good. The cheeses were sharp and fresh as were the apples, pears and grapes. The ale was heady and stout. The port was fruity and tart. The sweet meats were aromatic and flavorful and the meat pies were packed with meat and vegetables with light and flaky crusts. All and all it was a great meal.

The trio were satisfied and ready to pay their bill, when there fine waitress came with a very worried and harried look on her fair young face. Jane knew this look and had seen before many times and asked, "Who's acomin and how much time we got afore thay git chere?"

The terrified young girl replied, "I don't know whatche mean, Milady. Do ya wont another pint?"

The savvy Texan knew the look, someone or something was coming and this bar girl wanted no part of what was going to happen. So, the wild American took the table knife and grabbed the girl's arm and said, "Gal, I don't gots all day, chere. Now, y'all agonna tell me. The question be how much I haveta hurtcha afore y'all tells me."

The young barmaid turned pale in her fear. The frail youngster struggled vainly against the firm grip that had vised her arm. Finally, the pale brunette stammered out in desperation, "Please, Milady, let me and mine be. A man has my father and mother and wilt kill 'em iffin I don't do as they say."

A hard voice responded, "Gally, I will cut off y'all's purdy hand, iffin y'all don't tell wat is agonna happen and when."

The last of the color in the waitress's face drained as she murmured, "A man came and told me to keep ya har til his men gets har to take the Lady captive. Tha plan to keel ya two and take the Lady. That's alls I knows. Please, hep us. We be po folk who want no trouble."

Jane looked to Hugh and said, "Let's finish this fine beer and git ready."

The dark American gulp down the last of the ale and stood, while still holding her grip on the child's arm. The hardened warrior looked deadly into the frightened brunette's grey eyes and demanded, "Hep me out of this blame dress and than hide ore yonder agin the wall."

Hugh gathered his Lady and moved her into a far corner of the room into a chair hidden behind an overturned table. The veteran warrior winked at her honey blonde friend and reassured her, "Ain't nuttin to wary about. I jest don't wont to mess my new dress none."

In nothing but her undergarments, but free from restriction, the longtime Indian fighter pulled out her two Arkansas toothpicks and readied herself for the fight. Not for the first time today, the volatile Texas wished she could have brought at least one of her pistol, but Maura had been adamant that she leave all her firearms in her room. English law was very strict in its gun laws. So, the young fighter had only brought her two toothpicks and two kitchen knives borrowed from the Isles kitchen.

The two brawlers didn't have to wait long, six burly men in sailor attire rushed into the dining area only to stop short when they were greeted by a big man with brass knuckles and a large knife and a tall half naked girl wielding two large dangerous looking knives. Both warriors looked confident in their stance and deadly in their stares.

With a backhand flip of the knife in her left hand, Jane skewered the closest bullyboy in the throat and said, "Now, that opens the ball, let's dance to the fiddler.

Taking the long cheese encrusted knife from the table, the tall Texan charged the five remaining ruffians brandishing her two weapons. With a Indian cry, a whoop and a holler, Jane parried the first man's clumsy attempt with one knife, while slicing his Adam's apple with the other.

Hugh not to be out done caught another hooligan's knife with his and smashed his nose with the brass knuckles. The man's face exploded in blood as his jaw unhinged and his teeth shattered as well as his nose. By dropping his guard in the pain, he allowed the dark fighter to spit his groin.

Meanwhile, Jane had followed her slice of the first bully with a kick to the groin of his mate to her left. The man doubled over in pain, only to have that pain end when the cheesy knife impaled the back of his skull. While releasing her hold of the impaled knife, the agile brunette leaped the back of the collapsing corpse to scissor kick the man to her victim's right.

The stunned fighter felt one hard boot and then another smash into his face. Still staggered by the kicks, the man didn't see the delicate rock hard fist uppercut her falling head. Barely conscious, the man never saw the hilt of the wild Texan's knife connect with the side of his head.

In the interim Hugh had dove for the last attacker driving his broad shoulder into the man's solar plexus. The experience bodyguard drove his head upward contacting the man's chin forcing his head back. With his neck exposed the expert fighter jabbed his knife into the exposed flesh under the man's chin and like that it was over. The only blood in the room was from the six clumsy attackers.

Jane nodded to Maura and Hugh retreated to protect his Lady, while the veteran killer charged the backroom to rescue the innkeeper and his wife. The dark assassin was too late the older couple lay in a pool of their own blood, their throats cut. Obviously, whoever it had been wanted no witnesses.

***SE***

Maura had never witnessed anything like it. Her quiet young friend had ruthlessly killed four men without really endangering herself. The skill demonstrated in her fighting dispelled any lingering doubts about the veracity of the stories about this thrilling young woman.

Still wielding her knives, her new companion reemerged from the backrooms. The fiery American met hazel eyes with golden green flakes and shook her head from left to right. The young waitress saw this action, released her held breath and collapsed to the floor, crying.

The honey blonde heiress rushed to the sobbing daughter and held her, allowing the orphan to weep deeply into her shoulder. The frightened blonde looked to her new friend and asked, "Are you hurt?"

The wild Texan laughed the laughter of the insane and replied, "Hell no. Those boys war amateurs. I coulda lit Hugh handle 'em, but wars the fun in that?"

Hugh chuckled and interjected with a sense of humor and the knowledge of where his Lady's concerns lay, "I'm fine too, Milady."

The huge bodyguard walked over to the now moaning bully on the floor and smirked, "Ya left this un alive. Ya slippin."

Jane winked, "Dead men don't talk."

***SE***

The three diners accompanied by a still stunned bully and a sober innkeeper's daughter entered the waiting carriage. It had been decided by the two warriors, the man should be questioned after Lady Maura was safely behind friendly walls. Additionally, the young heiress had felt guilty about the plight of the now orphaned child and insisted the child return with her to her manor.

A passerby was ordered on pain of death by the Lady Isles to find the constable and inform him of the carnage in the once quiet tavern.

The carriage ride home was quiet and uneventful. The groggy bully boy stared at Jane in terror. With his hands and legs joined by rope, he had no illusions of escape. All he could do was pray for a peaceful death. He had faced this young woman dressed elegantly in her silk dress and knew the mercilessness within her. The man knew his death was near. He just feared the torture to precede it.

The shaken teenage girl trembled in grief. Her life was forever changed. The quiet comfort she had shared with her parents was no more as they lay in their own blood on the floor of the tavern's kitchen. The young woman had no idea what she was going to do now. The rational youngster knew she could not run the tavern on her own and she had no other family or even a beau.

Maura was determined to do right by the child, who had just lost two parents to a killer, who had targeted her. The honey blonde noblewoman had already decided to make the young orphan her ward and take the young woman under her wing. The fashionable heiress would find someone who could teach the inexperienced waitress how to run her tavern.

Hugh watched the courage drain from their captive as Jane stared ominously at the man. The bodyguard was in awe of the raw passion and honed skill of the young American. The aging bodyguard was not an educated man, but if this was the breed of fighter coming from the American West, then England was soon going to have a military rival.

Jane coldly stared at their prisoner wondering who had dared to try and harm her friend. When that young waitress had told them that someone was going to try and kidnap her Maura, the untamed Texan felt the hand of death squeeze her heart. No one was going to harm her Maura while she could draw a single breathe. This man was going to tell her who was behind this and the cold killer was going to end the threat before she returned to Texas.

***SE***

The lower level of the Isles Manor house was formerly used as a dungeon. It was old, older than the manor house itself. This location had been the location of an ancient Saxon Castle. The castle had been razed and burned centuries earlier. In the reign of the First King George, the manor house had been built using the foundation of ruined castle as its basis.

In recent years, the dungeon had been used as a gaol for offenders of the Lord's justice. In one of the dank cells, Jane and Hugh eyed their prisoner. Jane had changed her clothes and was wearing her deerskins and heavy boots. These were her working clothes and the angry fighter was going to work on getting information.

The wild Texan glared daggers at the man, who would have taken her Maura and said, "Y'all kin talk now and save y'all some pain. No matter to me none which way it be, cause I'll be agiven not ataken the pain. Let me tell y'all sometin though. I learnt how ta torture from the Injuns and I kin make y'all scream at jest the mention of my name.

Now, I's gonna ax one question and iffin y'all answer rat, than I ain't gonna hurtcha. Than we go on to the next question, until's I's satisfied y'all done told me everythin. My friend chere is ta keep me from killin y'all too quick.

Now, y'all should know, y'all war after somebody I loves and I don't take kindly ta that. Iffin y'all don't answer me rat the first time, I'm agonna geld ya. I've gelded many a calf and many a horse. I've only gelded one man afore, so I might've ta've mo than one go at her."

Taking her knife from its scabbard, the hardened Indian fighter started sharpening the blade with a stone until it was could shave a man. Then the vicous interrogator commanded, "Strip off his britches and his underwear."

Jane removed a sharpening stone and two Arkansas toothpicks from a small bag that she had brought from her room. The intimidating Texan sharpened one of the knives with the stone, while saying, "Now, we's gonna axe y'all a question and iffin I don't like the answer, I'm gonna take one of y'all's three danglies."

Using her sharpened blade, the menacing brunette scrapped the inside of the man's thigh shaving the hair without drawing any blood. The feel of the cold sharp steel so close to his manhood made the tough bully whimper. While shaving the inside of the other thigh, the incensed teenager asked, "Who hired y'all?"

The man shivered as the sharp blade skimmed across his inner leg dangerously close to his private parts. The frightened hoodlum replied, "Danny O'Reilly."

The threatening hunter closed in on her quarry, "Now see that warnt too hard. Now, where is this O'Reilly character?"

The terrified tough answered quickly, "Ya kilt him. He wart the first man ya kilt."

Jane cursed the tough break, but in battle most times you can only select targets by opportunity. So, the disappointed American plunged on, "Do y'all know who he worked fer?"

The desperate kidnapper responded, "All's I know's Danny worked fer Patrick Doyle."

Jane wasn't familiar with the name, but Hugh was. He signaled for Jane to join him to talk out of ear shot of the terrified thug. Once Jane and Hugh had convinned at the corner, the big bodyguard said, "Patrick Doyle is loyal to the Lady. He is her head spy. Something else's goin on here. I think we need to talk to Mr. Doyle."

The thoughtful Texan whispered, "Okay, I wont one more shot at him. Then we go talk to this Mr. Doyle."

Once they were back to the captive, Jane asked, "Was Doyle behind this?"

The totally intimidated man, "I don't thin so. I saw 'em get some money from a man in the tavern."

Hoping for some more information, the tough Texan asked, "Ever see this guy afore?"

The shackled man answered, "Yeah,I don't know his name, but he's a Scot that works fer a French trader out of London."

Hugh commented, "I think that's everythin the man knows."

Jane nodded her ascent and plunged her knife into his chest and he sagged into his shackles instantly. The pitiless American cleaned her blade on the dead man's shirt. Hugh said, "That warnt rait. We should've turned 'em over ta Constable."

Jane looked him square in the eye and responded, "We don't gots the time to waste. We gots to talk to Doyle, then we looks fer this guy in London. Hugh, that man war wonted to kilt us and kidnap Maura. Who knows wat they've don to her. I gots no time nor pity fer his kind. Iffin y'all wonts to dance by the bandstand, don't complain bouts gittin hit by the horn."

***SE***

Patrick Doyle was sitting in his office in the office of Isles Shipping in Swansea. The busy Irishman was rarely in his office, but he was preparing for his next trip to France. The veteran spy and smuggler was finding more and more difficult to get in and out of France without the notice of Louis-Napoleon and his supporters. As a result, the cagy mole was studying various inlets and waterways, which might not be too closely guarded.

Doyle had just narrowed the possible sites to three, when his office door burst open and a tall dark haired woman wearing deerskins and holding a hatchet in each of her hands charged into his room. Before the veteran killer could reach his pistol, the tomahawk was sailing through the air and burying itself in his desk inches from his hand.

Seeing the second hatchet readied and not even considering that the first throw was an accident, the savvy smuggler sat back in chair and calmly asked, "Kin I hep ya, Lass?"

At that moment, Lady Maura's bodyguard stepped through the door and closed it behind them. The dangerous looking American said, "That war to git y'all's attention. Iffin, I war y'all, I'd kep me hands war I kin see 'em. I jest might git the notion y'all war areachin fer a gun or sometin and I'd be forced to bury me tomahawk in y'all's head, which'd upset my Maura and I kaint've that."

The concerned father couldn't help but notice the possessiveness shown by this intimidating young woman of his daughter. The calculating spy needed to know more about this untamed warrior, so he asked the big man behind her, "Wat's this all bout, Hugh?"

The large bodyguard replied, "Somebody tried to take Lady Maura at midday today. This is Jane Rizzoli. She stopped 'em."

Jane interrupted and added, "We captured one of the thugs and he named a man who work fer y'all, named 'Danny O'Reilly.' We needs ta know iffin he work fer y'all."

Doyle was now very worried and said, "Sit and rest ya bones. Ya better tell me the whole tale, Lass and don't be leaving out why ya say 'my Maura' and not Lady Isles."

Hugh broke in and said, "They love each other, Mr. Doyle and it be very mutual."

Doyle nodded his understanding and said, "Wal, sit and tell me the tale."

For the next twenty minutes, the two protectors relayed their story, each embellishing the words of the other until the cunning spy knew the entire story. Finally, when the pair had completed the entire picture, Doyle spoke, "I know who's behind this, Baron Jacque Martine. He be Maura's maternal grandfather and a very mean and vicious man. He kint git near her."

Jane was very puzzled and asked, "How y'all know this?"

Doyle replied, "This kint leave this room. Lady Constance don't even know it. Do I have ya word this's between us in this room?"

Both parties nodded their agreement and the terrified father continued, "Maura's me real daughter."

With those words, Patrick Doyle told his sad and weary story of a love that lasted but a moment, but was never forgotten.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note #1: Before I hear about the ages of the two protagonists in my story, I want to remind those reading the story that this is mid-eighteen century. At this time young ladies were married and with children by the time they were Jane's age. Noblewomen Maura's age were either married or engaged. So, I don't want to hear about how young the two young women are. **

**You have to know that the average life expectancy of white females in America in 1850 was 40.5 years old and 38.3 for white males. Compare that to the average life expectancy of white females today of 81.2 years old, a bit more than twice that of 1850. This extrapolates to mean a 21 year old of today would be 10.45 in 1850, which is the main reason everyone had to grow up faster then than now. By the way, the numbers come from the United States Census of 1850 and 2010.**

**#2: A short discourse on accents, the Texas Twang had not developed at the time my narrative takes place. Texas was a pioneer area at this time consisting of pioneers from the East. In Texas's case they mainly came from Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. In Jane's particular case, her accent is a combination of Louisiana Creole/Cajun from her parents, Georgia from Korsak and Tennessee from the Wakefield Brothers; all of whom had a hand in raising young Jane. I tried hard to balance out the three differing accents. You notice lexicon from all three. I debated substituting the 'd' sound for all 'th' sounds, as per Cajun dialect, but decided against it. I hope this clears up why I choose the dialect I chose. Please also note that sometimes Jane forgets her accent. Her obsession with books has given her a wider vocabulary than she wants to admit. She tries to stay within her jumble dialect, but sometimes fails when she is trying to make her intellectual points. This is going to become a plot point in this chapter. I had already written the dialect conversation in this chapter before I read the review on my misuse of accent. Funny huh?**

**I hope this heads off all the comments about the young age of the two protagonists of my story.**

Chapter 9: Road to London

After Doyle finished his tale of sorrow and happiness, of love and hate, he said, "Now ya kin why we must keep the Baron away from his granddaughter."

Jane didn't understand why the obviously loving father kept this love a secret from his daughter, so she asked, "Why don't y'all tell y'all's daughter? She should know."

Doyle tried to explain, "Ya gots ta keep our secret. She kint know cause the girl will wont to tell everybody and I'm a man wit a lot of enemies, who woult prey on her ta git ta me."

The rowdy Texan understand protecting those you love from your enemies and agreed, "Alrait, I'll kep ya secret, but y'all gots to promise me that y'all tell her iffin it comes up."

Doyle nodded his consent and asked, "Now, tell me about ya and me daughter. I know bout Lady Constance and her whore. Ere ya ruining me daughter?"

Calling the sweet Gina a whore was too much for the sensitive Texan and she was across the desk with a knife to the surprised smuggler's throat before he realized the girl had even moved, as she warned, "Mister, y'all gots two seconds to apologize about Miss Gina or I's gonna end this here conversation now."

Still in shock about the viciousness and swiftness of the attack, the veteran killer desperately tried to recall his words, so he asked to stall for time, "Wat did I say?"

Hugh chuckled and interjected, "Ya called Miss Gina a whore and I think Jane took offense ta it. I would apologize iffin I war ya cause she won't back down and I wouldn't wont her to. I like Miss Gina, too."

Doyle stammered, "I apologize about that, but I won't apologize about knowin whether ya've despoiled my daughter."

Blood began to trickle down the cut that the sharp blade was inflecting on the Irishman's neck, as the dangerous Texan growled, "Y'all're tryin my patience, Mister. I ain't done more than kiss her, but that's between her and me. Iffin y'all wont more say then tell her who y'all is and I'll listen. I won't heed y'all none, but I wilt listen."

Hugh was afraid of where this was heading. He had seen this hardened killer in action. The dark American had killed four men today and fifth wasn't beyond her. So the diplomatic bodyguard interrupted, "Mr. Doyle, Lady Isles's in love with this beautiful young woman and'd not take kindly ta ya interference even if she knew ya war her father."

Doyle's mind struggled with his morality until self-preservation, as he responded, "I'm sorry. I'd no idea how me daughter felt boutcha. I kint say I approve, but I've no rait ta interfere. But hear me Girlie Girl, if ya hurt me daughter or threaten me agin, I'll keel ya."

Jane removed her knife and placed it back in her scabbard. The agile fighter leaped from the table and smiled as she replied, "Mister, y'all open the ball and I'll finish the dance."

***SE***

Lady Maura sat quietly as she listened to Jane and Hugh explain what was happening. Not for a moment did the honey blonde believe the attack came from Patrick Doyle. The dark Irishman had been a longtime friend of her father and had operated with his total blessing.

The name Martine meant nothing to the young noblewoman. However, the fact that he was French triggered long held suspicions. So the teenage heiress said, "I have an idea why this man wants me. My father operated an extensive espionage ring in France. The information he gathered was to help the Queen in her dealings with Louis-Napoleon. I have continued to operate the agents.

I have recently confirmed that Louis-Napoleon has designs on Mexico. He is looking for a way to neutralize the United States. The Monroe Doctrine would force the United States to come to the aid of Mexicans. Together they are more than a match for the French.

However, should the United States somehow be neutralize, then Mexico would be vulnerable. I have been endeavoring to uncover how they plan to do it."

France's plans for Mexico peaked Jane's interest, "Y'all mean that the Frenchies wont to take Mexico. Mexico has fought Texas twict. I don't like that at all. I need to write Pa a letter on this."

***SE***

Letters were still difficult to deliver quickly and the best that could be done was for the letter to be sent with the next Isles ship leaving for America, which was going to Savannah, Georgia. From there a messenger was to take the letter to Big Frank overland by the quickest route. Jane was beside herself in worry over what was happening at home, while as she put was lounging about.

Maura didn't want her friend to leave, but could see no way of keeping the wild Texan, if she didn't want to stay. The only scheme, the teenage blonde could conceive was to make the lovely brunette want to stay with her for a least a little longer. The inexperienced teenager just wasn't sure as how to accomplish the task.

The other thing that needed to be taken care of was going to London to find out more about this Martine person. Jane wanted to find the man and end it. The less violent heiress explained, "Jane, we need to find out what the man knows before we do anything rash. Honey, I need you to promise me that you will consider your actions before you act. This is England, not the unsettled America. You are the product of where you were born and raised. The violence in you is what had made you strong and served you well in the wild untamed lands of pioneer country, but here in England I know what is best to achieve what we want. Will you give me a chance and if my methods are not enough, then you may do what you think is best? Will you do this for me, please?"

The violent brunette knew more about the situation than her friend did, but was bound by oaths not to reveal everything, so there was no way to tell the young teen that finding all the answers would only cause her pain. The tall Texan didn't want this small young woman to know pain in any fashion. So, the cautious older teen replied, "Alritty, I'll do her fer y'all, but iffin I think I has ta, I'll step in and finish the ball."

***SE***

That night after dinner, Maura went to her friend's room and stared at the door summoning the nerve to enter the room and do what she had planned on doing. The lonely shy young woman didn't want her dearest friend to run back to America just yet. So, the lovely teenager had donned her best and sexiest night dress and wondered the halls trying to find the courage to ignite the plan.

The frightened heiress wasn't sure her friend would be receptive to romance. The indications were there and the young Texan had raced across the world to get to her, but was the wild American ready for more than friendship. If the young noblewoman were a man, she knew that there would be no impediment, but the honey blonde was all woman; as was the beautiful American.

The question that haunted her was whether her advances would be welcome or scorned. Would the vital brunette be so offended as to reject the serious young noblewoman completely? That fear was paralyzing her when she needed resolve.

It was Gina, who determined what was to come. The older woman was on her way to the young heiress's mother's room, when they encountered each other before Jane's door. The vibrant Frenchwoman asked, "Pourquoi attendez-vous l'enfant de mon coeur ?" (_Why do you wait child of my heart_?)

The anxious young woman answered, "Je suis incertain que ce soit la bonne action. Je ne souhaite pas perdre mon ami en faisant la chose fausse." _(I am unsure that this is the right action. I do not wish to lose my friend by doing the wrong thing_.)

The gentle mother sagely said, "Avez-vous vu comment elle vous regarde ? Que la fille est ainsi dans l'amour avec vous elle a peur de vous perdre qu'elle est de perdre sa propre vie. Je n'ai jamais vu un amour comme le sien et moi vous connaissent sentir les mêmes. Votre mère et moi ont fait beaucoup d'erreurs en nos vies, mais l'admission de notre amour n'était jamais l'une d'entre elles."(_Have you not seen how she looks at you? That girl is so in love with you she is more afraid of losing you than she is of losing her own life. I have never seen a love like hers and I know you feel the same. Your mother and I have made many mistakes in our lives, but confessing our love was never one of them._)

The scared teenager asked timidly, "Que devrait je ?" (_What should I_?)

The kindly soul replied, "Il y a seulement une chose à faire. Vous devez entrer là et lui dire que vous sentez et laissez vos émotions vous porter chacun des deux à où vous voulez être. Si Jane étaient un mâle, y aurait-il un doute ? Non, vous l'épouseriez et avez laissé tout se produire comme il faudrait. Mais parce qu'elle est une femme, vous hésitez. Ne laissez pas votre crainte détruire votre coeur." (_There is only one thing to do. You must go in there and tell her how you feel and let your emotions take you both to where you want to be_. If Jane were a male, would there be any doubt? No, you would marry her and let everything happen as it should. But because she is a woman, you hesitate. Don't let your fear destroy your heart.)

Maura no longer had any doubts as to what needed to be done. The young heiress set her soul and knocked on the bedroom door. Her heart fluttered as she heard, "Come on in. The door's open."

***SE***

Maura shut the door as she entered and stood shyly at the closed doorway. Jane was sitting in her bed dressed lovely in a satin nightgown with the covers gently around her. The beautiful young woman had been reading and looked so soft and glowing in the gas light. The lovely Texan asked, "Why ere y'all chere, Maura. Ain't y'all's maw gonna be mad at me fer y'all bein chere?"

The honey blonde's resolve began to melt and only fear kept her from dashing from the room. Fear of what the wild Texan would think, fear of losing her heart, fear of what Gina would think, fear of being afraid were all raging within her, but her biggest fear was the loneliness that would empty her if this lovely creature rejected her.

All that fear vanished, when the curly haired brunette said, "Come chere and set by me. I wonts to talk bout us. I'm skeered, but thar be no other way to do her."

Like the younger teen was being pulled by some invisible force, the panicky noblewoman edged toward the bed and sat where the dark American patted the bed. Then the equally frightened Texan declared, "I love y'all mo than I's ever loved anything afore. Y'all skeer me and I don't git skeered. I've been shot stabbed horned and bitten, but I always gits up. But y'all could put me down permanent. I knows it my heart, y'all could tell me to git and I'd git, but I'd jest go and die someplace alone."

All Maura's fears had been summed up in that simple heartfelt speech. The elegance of her words brought tears and enlightenment to the no longer lonely noblewoman. Tears flowed down her cheek as the honey blonde flung herself into the strong rancher's arms and said, "I feel the same way. I stood outside that door for the longest time trying to muster the courage to talk to you. Now, all I want to do is hold you and never let you go."

The two young women held each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then by mutual consent they broke the embrace and looked into each other's eyes. Jane tried to pull back the cover to let Maura under them, but with the honey blonde sitting on the blankets, there was no moving them. Catching on to what the lovely American wanted, the English noblewoman jumped up and jumped under the now upturned covers.

The strong hunter pulled the blonde beauty into her arms and kissed her with all the passion she could muster. The older teenager was totally inexperienced in what to do as the willing heiress opened her mouth in anticipation of the other's woman's tongue. The Englishwoman had seen this exchange many times and how read about its affects, but had never experienced it.

And she waited and waited and waited, without any lingual invasion. Finally, realizing that the older teen didn't know what to do, the brilliant heiress resolved to take action and pushed her tongue into the brunette's surprised mouth. The dark Texan trying to mimic the action pushed her tongue into the blonde's eager mouth.

Maura, seizing the initiative started suckling on the invading tongue. The sensation was glorious and soon the couple were wriggling and battling with their tongues in an effort to gain more pleasure. Jane's hand was the first to seek flesh as it involuntarily slipped inside the younger woman's night gown. Neither of them knew how the draws of her gown came undone, but the convenience of it was quickly exploited.

The tough rancher's rough and calloused hand kneaded the soft yielding flesh of the virginal noblewoman. A soft moan escaped the honey blonde's lips, only to be captured by the hungry brunette's waiting mouth. A strange and powerful flushness pulsed through the two teenagers.

Soon Jane's ties were loosened and soft tender hands began to return the lovely caresses. Moisture began to flow between the legs of both women. Instincts began to take hold of the young women, as they both began to explore each other's bosoms. Unable to contain the heat any longer, Jane slipped her nightgown over her head and tossed it to the floor. Maura's nightgown soon followed.

Maura hoarsely exclaimed, "I need to see you…all of you."

All the covers were thrown back and bloomers, shifts and stockings soon joined the nightgowns in a growing piled. The now naked women ogled each other's forms and hands, fingers and lips began to touch bare skin and heated parts.

A puddle of fluid formed in the silk sheets between Jane's legs. The wild Texan had never felt so much before and was quickly becoming overwhelmed by the emotions. Long ago, Maura had witnessed her mother stroking Gina between her legs and suddenly began to copy the action.

The blonde's long delicate fingers began to fondle the damp bare lips of the young woman vagina. The act set waves of pleasure racing through Jane's body as she arched her back and pushed off the bed with her toes. A deep groan echoed through the room.

Seeing the magnificent Texan's nipple stand erect caused the eager English noblewoman to capture one in her lips and teeth. This new sensation caused the tanned teenager to buck against the tweaking fingers. Unprepared for the action, made the young heiress's hand to drift and brush strongly against the Italian's swollen clitoris. A bolt of lightning boomed from the contact and the impassioned American shuttered at the glorious feel.

The honey blonde smiled as she asked, "Did you like that? Would you like me to do that again?"

The older teenager uttered only, "Yeah."

Not really knowing what she had done, the tender teen took the moist swollen bud between her thumb and forefinger and gently pinched it. The surge of passion in Jane exploded into a wave of carnal energy that vibrated through her. A second squeeze lifted the electrified young woman off the bed causing her to spasm with pleasure. Perspiration beaded down her body as the inflamed Texan's heels dug deeply into the bed.

Now, emboldened by the success of her actions, the blonde heiress replaced her fingers with her lips and tongue. The golden Englishwoman licked the length of the swollen nether lips ending at the bud of flesh concealed by them. Fluid poured from the throbbing American's core, as her hands knotted themselves in blankets and her mouth emitted moans of ecstasy.

The blonde lover captured the clit between her lips and massaged it; her tongue occasionally darting out and flicking the swollen flesh. Taking her forefinger, the honey blonde pushed into the wet hole up to the first knuckle. The small hole was tight but yielded to the slight pressure. It was all that the excited teen needed to reach her Nirvana, as Jane's body released all its stored sexual passion in one glorious climax, only to be followed by another, then another, then once more for emphasis.

The spent young woman collapsed in her bed with short panting breaths. Her satin sheets were damp and soiled by all her body fluids. Hazel eyes met chocolate ones and smiled, "I love you."

The lovely brunette weakly smiled back as she responded, "Y'all give me a second and I'll show y'all how much I kin learn."

***SE***

Jane rolled over and faced her new lover. With her left hand, the tough Texan began to lightly rubbed the golden heiress's swollen breast. The nipple tightened and grew hard from the action. The wild American leaned forward and captured the hardened flesh with her teeth and bit gently. Alternating between suckling the heaving breast and gently biting its swollen nipple, the brunette vixen was sending waves of pleasure throughout the English noblewoman's body.

Slowly the tanned Italian pink tongue trailed moisture from one breast to the other, where she started treating it to duplicate sensations. The honey blonde teen's breathing became short and panting, as her whole body began to react to the new stimulation.

The untamed Texan ran her right hand down gentle noblewoman's right side. The left hand massaged her new lover's left breast as she passionately suckled and bit the right one. Maura's hands were locked around the head of her slender naked girlfriend. Jane's sex straddled her younger sexual partner's leg as the honey blonde teen rubbed her damp vagina against her dark lover's leg.

As the heat between the golden heiress's love canal increased, the strong Texan began to run her left hand down her partner's left side toward her moist sex. Jane's right hand slipped behind the younger woman's nether region as it began to massage her soft twin globes. Without entering the blonde, the cool American's left hand gently rubbed her love bud.

A gasp escaped the younger woman's lips as her companion's warm fingers brushed her swollen flesh. The inflamed teenager bucked against the gentle fingers that were leading her to ecstasy. Breaking free of their kiss the slinky Texan's tongue trailed over her blonde beauty's stomach and stopping only to lick and tongue the noblewoman's bellybutton.

The lanky brunette's teeth bit her lover's stomach lightly, while her left hand pinched the now throbbing, pulsing and swollen bud, which sent a couple of pleasing minor orgasms through the younger teen's body.

However Jane was not finished. Sliding between her lover's sleek well toned legs, the considerate American guided her head between the writhing teen's legs as lips and teeth seized the young woman's wet and swollen vaginal lips. Again a couple of spasms racked the innocent blonde's body.

While sucking the escaping moisture, Jane's long warm tongue pierced the virginal hole of the younger teenager. Lavishly the determined hunter's pistoned the hole of the honey blonde's honey pot. Spouts of thick vaginal fluid burst into the inexperienced brunette's eager mouth.

After only a few strokes, her beloved blonde arched her back and exploded into a long sequence of gushing orgasms. Sucking the young noblewoman dry and draining all her reserves, the sleek tender female looked up and caught her lover's hazel eyes and smirked at how she had just sated the younger teen.

***SE***

The next morning the maids entered Jane's bedroom to open the drapes to let in the morning, but was stopped by a naked Texan. The wily hunter was a very light sleeper. Years of range living had taught the cagy teenager to be totally aware of her surroundings. When the cautious American felt the morning and heard the maids stirring, she remember their daily ritual.

The protective girlfriend had no intention of letting anyone know of their tryst until Maura wanted them to know. So as the efficient maid went to open the door, Jane had already bounded across the room to lock it. Using her naked body as a shield, the hard lean Texan effectively blocked the door, as she said, "I'm already awake, so y'all kin go do sometin else. Don't y'all be comin back chere til after breakfast, hear?"

The confused maid curtsied and retreated from the door, all the time wondering what man was in the wild Texan's bed. The rumors were wild with speculation, but none of that speculation centered on young Lady Isles.

Jane crawled back into bed and pulled her new lover into a tender embrace. The golden noblewoman purred as she drifted back into blissful slumber, dreaming of her wild Texan lover.

***SE***

Lady Constance Isles summoned Jane into her study for an interview. The savvy Texan didn't quite know what was meant by the word interview, but she did know what the topic was going to be…Maura.

Jane had her own code in life and the top rule in her personal code was honesty. The tough rancher was nothing other than brutally honest. The half Comanche warrior believed in being honest and straightforward. You snuck up on prey when hunting, but when dealing with people, the hardened westerner didn't sneak.

So, the above board American marched into the Lady's study wearing her best rawhide tunic and pants with her shiniest boots. If the Lady wanted to talk about Maura, the totally scrupulous Texan was going to be comfortable and at ease. Jane didn't have it in her makeup to be deceitful.

The lovely and graceful noblewoman offered, "Please have a seat Miss Rizzoli. I think we need to talk about my daughter."

The anxious American took the offered seat and replied, "Y'all ere rait bout that. We'uns needs to pallaber bout MY GAL."

At that moment, an angry honey blonde terror burst into the study shouting, "Mother, you have no right to interrogate my girlfriend. You have your life and now I want mine. I love Jane and will not have you try and intimidate her."

The fine Lady laughed gaily as she responded, "Dear, I do not think the Lord thy God could intimidate this young woman. As for interrogating her, what makes you think I am going to interrogate her? I just want to meet and get to know my daughter's lover. I knew about you two from the minute Miss Rizzoli arrived. I'm just surprised it took you this long to see for yourselves. Gina told me about last night, so I thought I should get to know the person who has captured my daughter's affection. She can take care of herself and you for that matter from what I have heard."

Somewhat embarrassed the young heiress answered, "Then why did you send for her without consulting me, Mother. Why would you not want to talk to the two of us together?"

Jane interrupted, "It is alrait, Sweetlin. I expect y'all's maw jest wonts to know my intentions and war atryin to find out widout embarrassin me. I kin tell y'all both I intends on bein around forever. Iffin I could I would mar-ry her tomorry. Seeins how that ain't possible, I'll jest haveta figger sometin else out. I knows I's got to git back home someday but fer now I jest wonts my Darlin."

All Maura heard was that her love wanted to stay and was ecstatic, because her leaving was the noblewoman's biggest fear. Constance heard the rest. Someday this young woman would be called to America and the Lady knew her daughter would find a reason to follow. So the older Lady asked, "How long do you think you have before you have to leave?"

Maura needed that answer as well, so she hardened her heart against the answer. The tall Texan replied, "I raitly don't know. I expect my Paw'll be acallin me home when he writes, but I'll ignore it as long as I am able. I don't wont to go atall. I's got mo chere than I does thar. I expect no less than two yarns ."

The younger Lady knew that she could do a lot to bind the wild Texan to her in two years and the mother knew that the lovely American could do a lot to bind her daughter to her in that same two years. Constance resolved herself to lose her daughter to young hellion in two short years.

***SE***

Jane and Hugh were discussing the upcoming trip to London. Jane asked, "Do y'all trains yit?"

The big man answered, "We have rail service from Swansea to Cardiff and from Cardiff they have several services, but with all the transferring and going from one service to the next, it would take longer than if we used the carriage. You have to understand, we just started standardizing the rail widths. As of now not all locomotives can run on every track. Additionally, each service is jealous of the other and they do not cooperate very well."

The tall Texan shook her head in exasperation and asked, "That don't make no sense, but we jest has to deal wit it. How fur is it to London?"

The tough man thought for a bit and replied, "It's about 40 to 45 hours to London, depending on how often we can change horses. We can do about ten hours a day, maybe eleven. So you're looking at a minimum of four days. I would plan on five for safety.

Lord Isles travelled extensively between Swansea and London and for his safety and convenience; he purchased several inns from which to change horses and rest. They are approximately five hours apart. We might also find fresh horse between these inns."

The savvy American thought for a minute then said, "Alrait, how clear be the roads and how safe be they?"

The experienced bodyguard responded, "The Queen has keeps the road fairly clear and safe. Highwaymen and bandits used to a terrible problem under King George, but Queen Victoria have military patrols ride up and down the roads. However, they keep a very routine schedule and some enterprising rogues have taken advantage of the intervals in between patrols."

The calculating brunette explained, "I be worried this Martine guy will try sometin on the road. I know I'd try her, iffin I twere out to git Maura. So, we'uns has to plan on thar bein a raid of some kind. I figger we need at least five men to fit off any trouble."

The dark behemoth calculated, "I can get Percy and Barry, they can act as driver and footman. I can also get Mario and Louis as outriders to flank the coach and act as scouts. I'll ride in the box with Barry and you will protect out Lady within the coach."

The veteran warrior demanded, "I wont y'all to put a lockable trapdoor in the coach floor, so's I kin git out iffin I needs ta."

The experienced protector answered, "Okay, I can get the smith to outfit the coach this evening before he gets a wink of sleep. We leave first light day after tomorrow?"

The expert fighter replied, "No, we'uns'll leave one hour afore first light. I figger by the time we leave Swansea and tother large settlements, it'll be full daylight."

Hugh saw the wisdom and experience in this suggestion and readily agreed. The wily bodyguard saw the passion and violence that was barely controlled in this young woman and pitied anyone that went against her. There was one thing that was obvious, Jane Rizzoli was a force onto herself and was no one with whom to trifle. The tough Texan didn't fear death as much as she feared failure.

***SE***

As predicted the party just cleared the last large settlement on the road about one hour after dawn on the first day. They pushed their horses hard in those first two plus hours and were looking for a place to exchange teams in order to get fresh horses. After a few more minutes knowing that they would soon have to slow to crawl or kill the horses, they came to a large busy inn. Seeing an opportunity, Hugh stopped at the inn knowing this was the type of place they were supposed to avoid. However, the cagy bodyguard calculated, if they couldn't find a new team, at the very least they could rest them.

Hugh went to the coach door and opened it to an upset Texan warily holding a pistol pointing at him. When the wary young woman saw it was her Lady's dark protector, she shrugged apologetically and asked, "Why ere we astoppin chere? This ain't a good place fer the Lady, too many strangers."

The experience warrior nodded his acceptance of this truth, but answered, "I know, but we need fresh horses and this place is likely to have them for a price. I want you to stay with the Lady, while I go and negotiate with the innkeeper."

Jane nodded her acceptance and Hugh shut the door of the carriage. Maura, who was fanning herself exclaimed, "I need to get out of this infernal hot box. I need some fresh air and a cool drink. Can I not enter that tavern for refreshment?"

The tough Texan had one weakness, Maura. The wild American couldn't refuse the smaller younger honey blonde a single thing. So, reluctantly, the tall brunette relented and said, "K, we'uns kin go and git sometin cool. I expects this place has cool drinks, cause I sees an ice house out back over thar."

So, Jane hopped out of the cab and put down the carriage steps and helped the young noblewoman out of the stuffy cabin. The fresh air slapped the tired rider in the face, as a cool breeze refreshed her weary body. Jane was dressed in a typical Victorian traveling dress, but under it wasn't typical Victorian undergarments. Under the dress, the wily warrior was wearing her buckskin hunting clothes, complete with all her available weapons.

It was deep into 1851 and summer would soon be over, but the hot air was still stifling and Jane reckoned it would be a kindness to get her young lover a cool drink. The rowdy atmosphere of the inn quieted to a murmur when the pair of beautiful and finely dress young ladies entered the building.

Hugh was shocked that the veteran Indian fighter would expose the Lady to such danger. The tall bodyguard bowed to the young noblewoman and asked, "Milady, do you know the dangers of this place? And Lady Jane, I thought we agreed that such a large establishment was too dangerous for the Lady."

Somewhat reluctant to admit her weakness for anything Maura, the wary American replied, "The Lady said she needed some air and sometin cool to drink. How'd I deny her that?"

The worried defender was about to protest again, when the Lady commanded, "Hugh find me a table and something cool to drink and maybe some fresh food. It has been a difficult morning and I need some refreshments."

There was no longer a debate. The Lady's word was law in his heart and by English law. So, grudgingly, the big man was off to demand a table from the innkeeper. When the graying tavern owner was informed of the Lady's identity and demand of a table, the warm friendly man went into action. The large overweight man told a party of two near the largest open window that they would be welcome to stay in the kitchen or leave, whatever their choice.

They were about to protest when the large behemoth of a bodyguard approached and said, "You next words could be your last. The Lady Isles needs your table, would you deny a Lord of the Realm."

The two farmers knew their place. This young woman and her companion were obvious nobility by their dress and their manor and to deny them was to court prison and disaster. So the friendly party left for the kitchen, where they were treated to a banquet to be paid by the grateful Lady.

The small blonde had witnessed the exchange and felt guilty about using her power over less fortunate men. So, the young noblewoman handed the groveling innkeeper a gold sovereign and commanded, "I see you have a ice house. I want two pitchers of iced limeade and a plate of ice fruit. Additionally, been a selection of cheese and fresh bread. And I think a bottle of chilled port. Also see that those men have anything they want and I will give you a like coin when we leave."

The wily proprietor seized the coin and the opportunity that presenting itself. It was widely know that the Isles keep their own chain of inns along key roads to London, York, Kent and Glasgow, so the young noblewoman was blessing his inn with her very presence. Word would get out, especially as he was going to tell it, that this inn was good enough for nobility. So, the opportunist rushed off to make his wealthy guests comfortable.

Once seated the couple smiled and took in the cool breeze that was wafting in through the window. This was obviously the coolest table in the inn. No sooner had they been seated when two cool pitcher of limeade with ice floating in it where served with two cooled glasses. Not forgetting her lesson from their previous adventure in a tavern, the lovely Lady ordered, "My men require refreshment as well see to it."

Hugh, Barry, Percy, Mario and Louis had all stationed themselves about the young Lady's table in order to keep danger from the young women. Jane, nervous over their exposure, had slipped one of her pistols under the napkin in her lap. After a bow, the tart barmaid, who had delivered the limeade rushed off to get the tall handsome men some ale. The bright wench knew men would want the strong beverage over anything so tame of limeade.

A second barmaid came with an assortment of fresh cheeses and four steaming loaves of bread. The waitress could be no older than the Lady and was obviously nervous. The fear of making a mistake was apparent, so the Lady smiled and said, "Lass, just do your job and there will be no problem. I promise I mean no harm to anyone here. Now, be off and get me my cool fruit."

The first barmaid came back with five tankards of ale and distributed them among her protectors. Hugh only sipped his, not wanting to cloud his mind with drink, while the others downed theirs with relish. After delivering the pints to the party, the pert servant winked at the men and was off to serve another table.

The younger girl came with a pewter platter that was full of sliced apple, pears, plums and a few strawberries. Ice was placed around the fruit and around a fresh bowl of cream. The young teenagers smiled at the prospect of the cool treat and started selecting morsels and dipping them in the cream.

After thirty minutes of feasting the Lady cried mercy, "I am sated. Have the innkeeper come here, Hugh."

Within seconds the proprietor magically appeared and asked, "What else can I do for Milady?"

The smiling blonde replied, "Well, have my horses been exchanged?"

The tubby man wrapped a towel around his hands and responded, "Yes, milady, I had a team ready for the evening stage to Swansea, but I can use your horses for that. Your man has given me a bill of sale for your team in exchange for mine. Is that satisfactory?"

The gay young noblewoman exclaimed, "This is a fine and worthy establishment and I will tell anyone who asks that this is a fine place to stay. Here is the payment I promised. Now, Hugh, let us be off."

However, before the party could clear the inn, a young woman in rags with two young children stopped her and begged, "Milady, me an mine err starvin'. My man went to sea fer ye two years past and has not returned, nor have we seen a penny of the promise from yer man."

Lady Maura looked to Hugh questionably, who said, "Milady, it is a common practice for a ship's captain to recruit young men from such areas. They are promised one silver piece for signing and another for the family each month, while they serve. I have no idea why this woman has not received any money, unless the husband has abandoned her."

The shocked noblewoman asked, "How could he do such a thing?"

The worried bodyguard replied, "All he would have to do is sign in the ship's log that he was unmarried and he would get the money and not his family. Some men are so based."

Anger surged in the outraged Lady, as she declared, "Find this man. I want him brought to me in chains if necessary."

Taking out four gold coins, the wealthy blonde placed them in the woman's hands and exclaimed, "This woman and her children are now my wards. I will not have men in my employ who will abandon their responsibilities. If they will abandon their family, they are unreliable and would abandon their duty for their own self-interest. Innkeeper, see to it that this woman is housed here at my expense. You are to see to her comfort and needs. Send the bill to Swansea."

The happy proprietor bowed deeply and was impressed by the fire and compassion in this Lady. The honey blonde teen was truly worthy of her title. So, he happily said, "Your wish is my command, Milady. I will see to their comfort. And, Milady, might I be so bold as to say you are the most gracious noblewoman I have ever met or heard of."

The Lady nodded her acceptance of the compliment in keeping with her station and let the building feeling better about herself.

***SE***

They rode hard to the first of Isles way stations and made it in under five hours despite the half hour rest stop. It was only half past eight when they arrived and weren't due until quarter past nine, so Jane decided to give Maura another rest and leave at quarter past nine, which would still put them twenty minutes ahead of schedule. The pamper Lady was not used to such arduous travel and the carriage needed new springs, which was first on Jane's agenda when they reached London. The trip back was going to easier.

The inn was a simple place in the middle of a small village that raised sheep. The sheep in the meadow behind the inn and the meadow for that matter belonged to the Lady. The inn raised goats and sheep for mutton and cheese for which they were famous. It seemed the local tenant was a wizard at making cheese and raising fat sheep. After eating a fresh bowl of mutton stew with fresh bread and goat cheese, the couple knew the rumors were true, the man was a wizard.

Not only did he and his family raise sheep and goats, make cheese and their own ale from barley and hops they grew in another Isles meadow, but they also ran the inn, which was very tidy and clean. The anxious innkeeper demanded that the Lady or one of her servants examine his books, as he was an honest man and eager to prove it. Jane didn't trust honest men, so she offered to have a look.

The hefty and strong family man was not sure of the skill of one that talked so ruggedly. The tall Texan took no insult because none was intended. The intelligent rancher knew that many people from her part of Texas could neither read nor write. So to insure the man her skill she said, "Would you be more comfortable if I talk like this? I'll have you know good man I run a ranch in Texas that is bigger than all of Wales. I run about ten thousand head of longhorns, five hundred horses, a sugar beet plantation, two sugar mills, a trading post and a general store. Does that secure my expertise?"

The man was shocked and looked to the good Lady, who responded to his silent inquiry by saying, "She speaks the truth. She is visiting me from America. I met her at the Inaugural Ball for their president. Her family is quite rich and powerful in West Texas and as for the size of her ranch, I have not seen it, but my man Hugh has."

Hugh smiled at the memory as he said, "All I can tell you is, I only rode across half of it and it took me two days to get across that. I would venture to say that it is not only bigger than Wales, but probably as big as all of Britain."

The man relented and opened his books. After a half hour of examining the books, the savvy businesswoman asked, "Why is your wool yield so low? From the herd you have in your account book, you should be getting fifty to seventy-five percent more yield. So where is it?"

The older man fidgeted a bit before he answered, "I lose fifty percent every year to the clippers. I don't have the expertise or the hands to clip the sheep, so I have to hire a traveling band of clippers, who demand half the yield for their services."

Jane shook her head and responded, "Not only are they overcharging you, they are shorting you on the count. I would say they are taking stealing one out of every four or five bales. Are they local?"

The man answered, "They do their business in the fall, when the weather is still fair and the sheep's wool is thickening for the winter. Right now they are five leagues to the east readying for the new season."

The cold Texan locked eyes with the man and demanded, "Give me directions."

***SE***

The drive to the clipper's camp took the better part of an hour. When the party arrived at the camp, Jane exited the carriage and said to Maura, "Please stay put. I 've bisness to decuss and I don't wonta have ta hurt somebody atryin ta stop 'em frem insultin y'all."

Maura frowned, she had heard the tough Texan's speech pattern with the innkeeper and knew that this accent was just for show, so she said, "Janie, I know you can speak the Queen's English when you want, so please speak it around me. I know it's part of your charm, but save it for the people who do not know you."

Jane smirked and replied, "For you, I will do this. I don't have a formal education. I only know what I have read."

The honey blonde noblewoman responded simply, "I will stay in the coach, just do not be long. I do worry so."

The hardened American blew her love a kiss and turned on her prey with a hard stare and will. The young hellion walked boldly up to the man who had come to greet her. He never finished his bow, as the angry Texan used her pistol to whip him across the side of his face. The startled man collapsed in a growing pool of blood. Another man stepped forward with his hands extended sputtering, "Who are you and what do you want?"

Jane walked up to the man with her gun to his belly and said, "Be y'all the man of this here village?"

A man and woman walked from a tent and responded, "I am the man and this is my woman. We speak for the camp."

With her off hand Jane pulled a knife from her collar scabbard and hurled between the standing man's two legs, as Jane said, "That'sta git y'all's attention. Now, I'm chere fer Lady Isles. Seems y'all been acheatin' her. I seen the books at the Isles way station and not only ere y'all over charging her, but y'all're also stealing frem her."

The man thought he was tough when he said, "Ya kaint prove athang. The law kaint touch me."

Jane locked hard brown eyes on the man and replied, "I ain't the law and I ain't gotta prove nuttin. Iffin I don't git what I wont, I'll take her out of all y'all's hides."

The tall thin man laughed as his twelve men and fourteen women formed a loose group behind him with axes and knives, "Ya ere outnumber."

Suddenly five men appeared with firearms with Hugh saying, "But we got the guns."

Jane put her pistol away and draw her second toothpick and walked up the tall gent and explained, "As I were asayin. I needs to be satisfied. Now the way I see her, y'all owe my friend over there about five hundred pounds fer jest the skimmin y'all did and tother five hundred fer the outrageous rates y'all been demanding.

From this point on, y'all work fer my Lady, until this debt is paid. Y'all clip her sheep fer room and board for five years, then y'all be paid twenty-five percent of the yield."

To emphasis her words, the callous Texan sliced a gash along the man's chest drawing a little blood. The cold warrior locked eyes with the man and smiled, "Iffin, y'all wont to open the ball, I'll dance the jig witcha."

The tough man looked into cold hard eyes and saw his death there. It was all he could to say, "Yes, Milady. We'll do ya first."

The strong American smiled a terrifying grin and responded, "Good, now y'all stay at Isles Inn until the sheep ere done and I will look at the accountin. Iffin I find anytin wrong, I'll find ya and gut ya proper."

Without another word, Jane turned her back to the man and strode back to the carriage."

***SE***

The next station was only three more hours away. It was only a little past one when they arrived. They had originally planned on staying at this way station, but with sunset almost six hours away, they knew if they pushed through with no further stops, they could make it.

Buoyed by the experience from the previous station, the crafty Texan asked to see the books, as if that her primary function. It was good business for the hired help to know that they could be inspected by the owner at any time. Jane found no discrepancies, though this man was not as good a manager as the previous innkeeper. The tough American warned, "I give you notice. If things don't improve in the next three months, you will be replaced. You are lazy and not doing your job properly. Your sheep are either being stolen or they are wandering. I don't care which, it will stop. I expect to see an increased yield from both the barley and hops fields. I see you buy ale from a local brewer. Why? You raise all you need."

The man replied worriedly, "I don't know how to brew ale."

The exasperated Texan responded, "Then trade your raw goods for it. You sell to him at a low price and pay premium for his ale. That stops. I want you to get in trade twice what you were getting in cash. He'll try to crawfish out of it, but you have the stuff he needs, so he'll dicker. I mean it, if you don't get this done right, you will be fired, sacked, canned, whatever you say over here."

The message was clear and the man merely nodded.

***SE***

When they arrived at the next way station, they were tired and hungry. This station was a little further than the others. The horses were in a lather when they reached their destination and they were sadly disappointed. The place was a disaster.

The stable stank of horse and pig manure. The fences for the sheep meadows were in disrepair and the sheep were running wild on the road. The main house was in total disrepair. The roof hadn't seen a tool in years. The door was hanging wrong and the windows were greasy and dirty. Maura was appalled. No one was going to stay at an inn in this condition. Jane had just help the smaller blonde off the coach steps when the angry noblewoman broke out into a hard stride toward the main house.

Maura called out, "I want to see the proprietor here."

A dirty smelly man soaked with drink and soiled with grime came from a back room and cried out, "The proprietor is not here, I manage this inn. How may I help you?"

Maura was carrying a parasol and it was the only weapon she had, but the fiery blonde used it with purpose, as she pummeled the disgusting man over and over yelling, "I am the proprietor you lout. Now get out before I find a horse whip and use it on you."

Hugh and Jane looked at each other with huge grins and nearly laughed at the spectacle they had never seen her so angry. They didn't know if it was the long drive or the decay of her property, but the diminutive woman was furious.

The man was about to retaliate when Jane pulled a pistol and cocked it saying, "I wouldn't iffin y'all wont to walk out of chere on y'all's own feet. We kin carry y'all to the hog pen iffin y'all wonts. Y'all's choice."

The cowardly man saw the gun and the large man standing next to the young woman with the pistol and ran from the inn screaming. An hour later, the five men were cleaning the inn with the two ladies cooking in the kitchen. Maura had insisted on cleaning the place before they retired for the night. Fortunately, there was no rain so the damaged roof wasn't going to be a problem.

As inn proprietor, the honey blonde heiress was going to needed to hire a new manager. Additionally, the young noblewoman could spare no time to do it immediately, so she was going to have to lock the place up and give the keys to the constable in the area until she could make arrangements.

As it turned out she needed have worried about contacting the constable, because a few minutes later, the coward came back with a constable. The constable was a small middle-aged man with a balding head and few grey hairs. He wore a badge of identification and carried a large walking stick, which Jane assumed was his favorite weapon.

With practiced authority the law officer demanded, "Who ere ye people and what ere ye doin chere?"

The properly dressed younger woman answered for the group, "I am the Lady Maura Isles and these are my protectors and traveling companions. I was here to stay the night on my way to London, when I came across this disaster. This man has let my property go to ruin. So, I sacked him and ordered him to leave."

The constable knew his authority over a noblewoman was non-existent and her crew of men could tear him apart. Besides the lawman hated John Jones, he was a lazy no-account and had let this place go to seed, but the officer had his duty to perform. So, he continued, "I understand he was forced out by gun point."

Before Jane could endanger herself, Maura burst in and replied, "The man threatened me, so I retaliated to protect my person. However, I am glad you are here. I have sacked this man and will be needing a replacement. If you would be so kind as to hold the key for the new manager until such time as he should arrive, I would appreciate it. As a matter of fact, Mr. Jones, please return the keys. You may retrieve your personal belongings."

Jane growled, "And nuttin else. I'm awatchin y'all."

The constable answered, "I happen to know a couple that needs a position. They just lost their farm and need a place to stay. They are hardworking people, who lost three straight crops to bad luck. They have two sons and a daughter, all of working age."

Maura smiled and said, "Thank you. Can you have them here by morning?"

As the dirty man grumbled his way to the door with a sack over his shoulder, the constable responded, "They'll be there before morning."

The honey blonde heiress said, "Thank you again. When we reopen, I want you and your family to be my guest."

The savvy constable nodded and replied, "We'll be thar, thankee kindly."

***SE***

By the end of the second day the Isles party had shaved half a day off its schedule and to top it off there had been no raids despite Jane's worst fears.

It was late on the third day. They had an extended stop at the last way station as one of the wheels had developed cracks in several of its spokes and needed to be replaced. So they had to wait while the changed the wheel and repaired the old one as its spare.

Lady Maura slept with her head on Jane's shoulder. The group was trying to make up some lost time and riding to the next way station at a good canter. If something was going to happen, it would have to happen soon, as they were entering more populated areas of the English countryside. So, Jane refused to let sleep overtake her.

The wily Texan was ever vigilant and alert. The tough fighter knew the dangers of the road and though there no Indians in England, there were thieves, cut throats, and highwaymen. Hugh rode the box with a shotgun loaded with double aught buck and Percy the driver had two flint lock saddle pistols, inaccurate but deadly with their seventy caliber balls. Barry the footman, a former marine and long time bodyguard, carried a twin barrel forty caliber flint lock pistol and matching rifle from his soldiering days.

Jane as she had throughout the trip was wearing a travel dress over her native buckskins and fully armed with her array of pistols, knives and tomahawk, her Spencer was tied to the top of the coach. The two outriders were scouting the flanks deep into the woods. The canny Texan expected an attack, she knew Maura's maternal grandfather wasn't going to let the honey blonde teenager get to London and ruin all his carefully laid plans, whatever they were.

Suddenly a shot sounded to their right followed by a second to their left. Jane hated it when she was right. Gently she woke her sleeping lover and said, "The party's starting, Sweetheart. Get down and stay down."

Before the young noblewoman could protest, the angry brunette pushed the younger teen to the floor between the cabin benches and drew two Le Mats.

Out of the brush, four riders broke into the roadway behind the carriage. A tree fell in front of the coach to block it from running away. The experience Indian fighter had no intention of running. Running never worked, it only left live enemies behind you.

The hardened warrior looked carefully out the rear cabin window and fired three quick shots at the trailing horses. Two of the riders were blown from their horses and lay motionless on the ground. The other two riders headed for the trees, but didn't make it. Hugh and Barry downed the other two men as they scrambled for cover. Shots rained from the brush and from behind the downed tree.

Slipping out of her travel dress, Jane was quickly in her fighting array of buckskins and sturdy boots. The experience combatant reloaded her three shots and holstered her two pistols. As the expert killer opened the cabin's trapdoor and readied to leave, she said to her frightened girlfriend, "Stay put."

The veteran warrior dropped through the opening and quickly analyzed the location of the enemy forces. The wily Texan counted six to nine shooters with positions to their left and from behind the downed tree. Keeping low to the ground, the cagy Indian fighter took to the woods, her natural environment. The silent ghost moved toward the nearest gunfire.

With a Bowie in each hand, the deadly wrath found one of the opposition quickly. The quiet killer came up behind the man, grabbed a hand of hair and yanked his head back to slit his exposed throat. A nearby adversary saw her and started to turn his musket toward her, only to find an Arkansas toothpick sticking out his chest. As he collapsed, the forest demon blended back into the woods, none the wiser as to her position.

A third foe had just fired his musket and reloading when a tomahawk sail through the air and buried itself in his forehead. The man next to him gapped in horror before recovering enough to see a knife slashing at his eyes. Blinded and bleeding the man stumbled from the brush and was killed by a musket fire from the carriage.

The last four men where firing from behind the fallen trees. Jane could see that Percy was down. Hugh was firing from under the wagon and Barry was behind the wagon. It was his shot that had downed the blinded enemy. There was no sign of Maura and the coach door was still open, all good signs. One of the coach horses was down, obviously shot, so the wagon was anchored in place.

Knowing there was no time for niceties. Jane pulled two of her Le Mats and opened the ball, firing shot after shot with either hand, while walking calmly from the trees at her surprised foes. Twice the experienced warrior had to change weapons and did it with such practiced smoothness that there was hardly any change to the rhythm of the shots. In seconds it was over, all four opponents were down before they had the slightest chance of reacting to her sudden attack. They were not getting up, their bodies riddled with bleeding holes.

Hugh and Barry raced from cover to find any stray fighters. The experience warrior reloaded her guns as she scanned the area for other enemies. The anxious girlfriend strode forcefully toward the carriage, all the time her heart racing with fear for her young lover. Jane tore open the door to hind Maura huddled close to the floor with her arms over her head. To the relieved girlfriend, it was the loveliest sight she had ever seen.

The honey blonde teenager looked up to see her tender lover and leaped into her arms, showering her with kisses, while asking, "Are you hurt?"

The loving brunette returned the embrace and replied, "Not a scratch or a bruise."

Maura held the older teenager for several moments before she asked, "How is everyone else?"

Jane shrugged her shoulders and answered, "I don't know for sure, but we paid a price. I just have to see how much the tab was."

***SE***

Mario and Louis had been shot and left for dead. Hugh and Barry had found the horses and shot riders at their flanks. As carefully as they could the pair brought their wounded comrades back to the wagon. Maura was busy patching up Percy, who took two shots to his legs. Jane was out in the woods scouting for the enemies' mounts.

A few minutes after Hugh and Barry returned, the weary warrior came out of the woods leading nine horses. All the dark American said was, "We missed one."

***SE***

The weary party arrived in London with two very wounded men and one dead one. Mario had not made it back to camp alive, his wound had been too severe. The group's first stop was to find a good doctor to accompany them to Maura's London Villa in Notting Hill.

After rushing the good doctor from his office and into the Lady's coach, Hugh and Barry took the girls to Notting Hill. Servants had already been alerted to their mistress's arrival. The men dropped the couple at the front door and took their precious cargo and the good doctor to the servant's quarters. After getting the two wounded men to their beds and insuring the doctor had everything he needed to treat them, the two bodyguards took the carriage horses and the recovered mounts to the stables.

Jane, an ever cautious soul told Maura, "You wait here and let me see if everything is as it should be."

Before yesterday's violence, Maura would have been impatient with such precautions, but now they made excellent sense. After several anxious minutes, Jane returned with the all clear to take her honey blonde girlfriend inside. Their long trip was over.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: London Fires

Lady Maura sent a messenger to the Queen with a letter outlining the latest information from France and with as many details as she had on Louis-Napoleon's designs in Mexico and Central America. With the United States having just reached a tenuous peace between the Slave States and Free States with the Compromise of 1851, French designs in Mexico seemed unlikely. The United States was firmly committed to the Monroe Doctrine.

However, Nicaragua was still the place where Louis-Napoleon wanted to cut a canal from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. The word from French Guiana was that the French had opened a penal colony off the coast on a piece of rock called 'Devil's Island.' Additionally rumors were spreading that the French government was actively looking for gold in the region and with some minor success.

In addition to the information in the letter, the honey blonde noblewoman requested an audience with the Queen. Then the clever heiress sent another messenger to a friend of her that was a private investigator. The young English Lady needed to find out where her enemies were hiding and quickly

***SE***

With the lady writing letters to all her most influential friends and her more disreputable ones, Hugh and Jane were left to their own devices. The experienced hunter knew two things about her quarry that could help in locating the bastard. One, the man was an arrogant boor, who needed all his creature comforts. Secondly, he had to come in secretly from France, which meant he was smuggled in by ship. So, Jane asked Hugh, "Are there any Isles captains in London right now?"

Hugh replied, "I don't know, but there is an office near the Thames that will know. We could go and talk to them and find out."

The cagy Texan thought for a minute and said, "I need some regular clothes that I can wear over my buckskins. My clothes and weapons would be like shouting, 'Here I am Jane Rizzoli, come and get me' and all the dresses I own would attract the unwanted attention of every cut purse in London. So, I need something simple and loose, but no rags."

As Hugh left the room, he answered, "I'll go to the servant's quarters and talk to Mattie the new kitchen dreg; she's about your size, though a bit more beefy. She'll have something."

***SE***

Maura had written twenty-seven letters and had had messengers running all over London delivering them. The wealthy noblewoman had hired an entire messenger service to be at her disposal for the next three months.

Though her information was important, maybe even vital, the Queen was still quite busy and would need time to digest her information, consult her advisors and decide on what further questions required answering. The savvy Lady calculated it would be at ten days before she was granted an audience.

Maura had assigned one messenger to await the Queen's response, who was relieved every four hours by a fresh messenger.

At noon, the famished young teenager broke her toil for a light luncheon of fresh cheese and hot bread with English tea with cream and sugar. After her refreshing meal, the servants left coffee and biscuits per her request, because answering letters were coming in and the anxious noblewoman needed time to interrupt what was really being said in them.

***SE***

Jane was dressed in a simple wool dress with long sleeves and neatly mended. The warm wool would itch in the hot sun, if the cautious American had not been wearing buckskins underneath the outfit. The dress served a dual purpose in that it concealed all her weapons as well as a disguise. The intimidating pair had taken the carriage to the Isles Shipping Office on the Thames from there they would proceed on foot.

It was convenient that a captain of Hugh's acquaintance was reporting on the status of his cargo and was sitting patiently in the waiting room of the shipping office.

Hugh told the clerk, "We need an office to talk to the gentleman on the Lady's business."

The haughty scribe answered, "And who might you be to order me about."

Captain Duncan Wallace interjected, "He's the Lady's main bodyguard and I venture to say this young woman dressed as a commoner is Jane Rizzoli from America. I know you like all Isles employees have been informed of her presence in England."

Pleased to meet you, milady, your drawing does you an injustice. Bartlett, I would advise you to find us an office before the Lady finds out you have insulted her man and her best friend."

The suddenly concerned clerk rushed to find the trio a secluded office.

***SE***

Jane sat behind the manager's desk at the insistence of the two older men, who both reminded her that in England, she was special in that as the friend of a great Lady she was the closest a commoner could be to being noble. The democratically minded American didn't see the point of all this nonsense. Maura was the most talented and unique person, she had ever met and would have excelled in any environment, because that was who the honey blonde was.

Captain Wallace pulled a handbill from his pocket and said as he pushed it toward the beautiful Texan, "This drawing does not do you justice. You are far more lovely than depicted in that drawing. However, it was close enough to identify you as Jane Rizzoli. Either Bartlett wasn't paying attention, which isn't like him or he chose to ignore you, which is like him.

I don't trust the man, he's very sneaky. I once caught him misrecording my manifest and now I check it personally. He said, it was an honest mistake. All I know is that he hasn't made a similar mistake with me again."

Jane vowed to herself to check this man's books before she left London. No one was going to cheat her Maura while she had a single breath in her body, but that would have to wait until after they found Martine. He was the top priority, so Jane asked, "Captain, what I needed to ask you was if you knew of someone would have smuggled a Frenchman into London?"

The wary captain thought for a moment, then explained, "There are several men capable and willing to do such work, but the best at it is Patrick Doyle. However, Doyle wouldn't do anything like that without Isles' approval. My second choice is Edgar Clarke, he'll do anything for a price and he has a new American clipper. It's quite fast and has a very shallow draft, so it's perfect for smuggling. The third best would be Bendingo Campbell, he's Scottish and hates anything British. He'd relish smuggling a Frenchie into London under the Queen's nose.

All and all, there be another six or seven names I could give you, but I'll need to think on her a bit. I could have a list by this evening. I could drop it at the Manor after dinner."

Jane smiled, she could hear a hint of a free meal in his offer, but the tough Texan knew how much a fine meal could mean to someone when they're light money. Besides, the sea captain had been very helpful. So the grateful American asked, "Why don't you join us for dinner. That way you can drop off the list and tell Lady Isles about your voyage and your dealings with Bartlett.

The smiling seaman replied happily, "I'll be there, thank you."

***SE***

Jane and Hugh were outside a sailor's tavern by the name of the Sailor's Hitch. The pair knew that they could never get Edgar Clarke to talk, so they had tracked down three of his crew who were drinking up their wages from the previous voyage. Hugh knew that a pretty girl and man buying rounds could get more information from a sailor than he intended to give.

So dressed as she was Jane was going to pose as a textile girl, who was looking for a good meal and Hugh was going to be posing as a recruiter looking for sailors to man Isles ships. Jane went in first over Hugh's objections, but as the bright young woman pointed out, she would need some time to garner interest. The American's biggest challenger was going to anxious.

The tall Texan enter the tavern and took a seat far from the bar and in the shadows, as she thought a shy young woman would do to avoid the ruffians. A haggard looking woman in her late thirties came up to the girl and asked, "Why ere ya here child?"

Staying in character the wily teenager answered, "Marm, I be lookin fer a good meal. I taint et fer a coon's age."

The older woman frowned, "Where be ye home, child?"

Jane replied timidly, "I frem Virginny, marm. My pa brung us chere to build ships, but he died acomin over, Maw and me were aworkin to make nuff money to send us and me sister home, but maw took sick and died two weeks ago. I got nuff money together to send my sister back home. Now, I am tryin to get nuff money fer me to go home. I taint et a proper meal in two weeks and am powerful hungry. Could y'all git me a plate of stew with some fresh bread and ale?"

The wily tavern wench asked, "Do ye have the scratch to pay?"

Like someone in her situation would do, the brunette actress opened a small handkerchief and showed the woman seventeen pennies, nineteen half pennies and one shilling. The nervous woman said in a whisper, "Hurry up and put that away. I'll getcha the three penny meal."

The dark skinned brunette smiled and replied, "Thankee, marm."

At this point, Hugh enter the tavern shouting, "Drinks are on me."

The seven men in the tavern rushed to the bar to order their drinks. The tall bodyguard slammed a guinea on the bar and said, "When we've drunk that, I'll put up another. I be needing sailors. Are any of you gentlemen sailors?"

All seven men laughed at the obvious joke. Everbody knew that only sailors frequented this tavern. One man spoke up and asked, "Who ye be recruiter fur."

The jovial big man answered, "I'm looking for sailors to man Isles ships."

The man who asked the question said with zeal, "Mister, I be alookin fur a berth. My ship went bankrupt and I've been dry docked fer a month. I'll sign up with a big outfit like yourn any day."

Hugh took out some papers and said, "Read this contract and make your mark and you'll be signed. Then you report with your contract to the Isles Shipping office tomorrow and they'll assign you a berth. Another round for the house and food for my new man."

The dark haired server placed a shallow bowl of wonderful smelling food before the dark Texan as well as a saucer with a small loaf of hot aromatic bread. Then the kind barmaid put a small kettle of hot liquid with a pewter mug and said, "The man is buying rounds and I thought you might like some tea with your meal rather than ale."

The thoughtfulness of the act was not wasted on the clever teenager and she replied, "Thankee, marm. I've seen so little kindness these past weeks. Thankee."

Forcing a small tear for her role to be complete, the fake textile worker attacked her meal with a feigned hunger. The tender serving wench smiled at the younger woman and said, "Ya eat and enjoy, child. Keep yar money, I'll charge the recruiter's tab. My man won't care who pays far the food. I'd a daughter like ya onct and she married a sailor who couldn't provide for her proper and she died of hunger. Iffin ya ever is hungry come to the back and I'll see ya feed.

Again the sensitive teen was moved by this obviously wounded woman and answered, "Thankee agin. I don't know iffin I'd be able to repay ya, but I'd be much abliged."

This time the tears came easier for the compassionate American. Obviously, this mother had lost her child recently and she was still grieving for her lost child. The dark Texan figured that the woman had seen that daughter in her and was trying to save the child she lost. It was sad and poignant at the same time. The older woman's smile broaden as she walked away with the large empty tray.

After the server left, one of the men that Jane and Hugh targeted walked over to the tall teenager's table and asked, "Why don't ye come and join the party, Little Miss?"

Keeping in character, Jane answered timidly, "Please sir, I'm very hungry and my food is hot. Please, let me be sos I kin et proper."

The man refused to take no for an answer and sat down on one of the empty chairs and responded, "Well, I'll jest bring the party here."

As any young defensive woman would do she attempted to run. Quickly, grabbing her bread, the sham textile worker darted from the tavern, only to be followed by the drunken man.

A smile invaded Jane's face as she felt the man presue her into in dark side alley. The experienced warrior slipped a pistol into her hand and turned. While cocking the LeMat and holding at the man's forehead, the wily Texan inquired, "Y'all followin' me?"

The now sobering man stammered, "Yes'm, but I'll be goin' now."

The cold American said, "I don't think so. We have to talk. Rather you do, I'll jest listen."

The season veteran looked about with her prerifferal vision and spotted a open door. The efficient brunette said, "Go over there to that open door and get inside. Once inside you'll see a candle lighting a table with a chair next to it. You'll sit in that chair. There's three sets of manacles on the floor. Use one to chain your legs to chair."

Not know what else to do the now semi-sober man obey without question. For a moment early, he thought he might run, but then he looked into those cold soft chocolate eyes and saw nothing but his death. The slow sailor realized his only way out alive was to cooperate.

***SE***

Ten minutes after the sailor was shackled firmly to the chair and gagged with rags, Hugh came into the dimly lit room carrying another of their targets over his broad shoulders. The strong bodyguard walked over to the empty cot in the room and deposited his quarry. The two warriors lifted the man from the bed into the other chair in the room, as Jane asked, "Any trouble."

The tall protector smiled and replied, "I left another gold guinea for them to drink away. So, they'll be occupied for the night. Bartlett is going to be surprised and pleased in the morning to find he hired three new sailors last night. They always are looking for sailors."

Jane shrugged and said, "Well, yours is going to be out for a while. Let's go to talk to mine."

The two interrogators approached the manacled man and Jane smiled coldly as she explained, "This is the back room of an empty warehouse. My girlfriend owns this place, so we won't be disturbed. I am a pitiless Texan. I was taught how to get information from the Comanche. Now you can talk with or without a lot of pain, but you will talk. So why not spare yourself a lot of misery and tell us about Captain Clarke's last cargo, including any passengers he might have had."

Before the hard American removed the gag, she took out a bowie knife and placed the tip at his genital region. As the deadly teenager removed the rags from her victim's mouth, she smirked, "Now, you are going to answer my questions truthfully or I'm going to geld you."

The terrified man's eyes widened as he stammered, "We carried French wine in kegs and fine French china and slipped in widout payin' the taxes. We dint have no passengers."

Jane shook her head and pressed the knife's tip forcefully into the man's sacks and said, "I don't believe you."

The pain was not that great, but the horror of what could happen caused the whimpering man to wet himself. The frightened sailor sobbed, "I don't knows anymo. I swear it upon my soul. There war wine, china and maybe some linen and no passengers. Please, don't hurt me."

Jane looked to Hugh and asked, "Do you believe him?"

Hugh chuckled, "The man pissed his pants. Yeah, I believe him."

Jane stood up sharply, removing the knife and responded, "Me, too, one dead end. Maybe he knows something about Campbell."

***SE***

Maura had sifted through all her mail and replied to several of the letters. A tired young woman rubbed her weary eyes as she examined the wall clock to see it was half past six. Dinner was ready and awaiting her arrival. The exhausted Lady rose from her seat as her back and buttock cried from misuse.

Without bothering to change for dinner, the regal noblewoman strolled into the small dining room as had become the Isles custom since Jane's arrival. Her small circle of family had grown closer with the new intimacy. Once more, the honey blonde heiress thanked God silently for sending the warm wild Texan here to bring life into their lives.

As she entered the room, the graceful teenager found all her family seated patiently in their seats awaiting her arrival. The embarrassed younger woman stammered, "Have you been waiting long?"

Jane smiled and Lady Constance answered, "No darling, we were just about to send for you when we heard you stir."

Maura walked to the head of the table and seat royally down upon her nightly throne and exclaimed, "I will never let it happen again. Georgie, please tell the help, 'No matter what I am doing, they are to alert me of the six o'clock hour.' Now, please serve the soup."

***SE***

Dinner went marvelously, though each of the young couple took great pains to avoid speaking of their days. Maura was particularly distracted. One of the letters had mentioned that there was a personal connection between herself and this Martine character."

Maura exclaimed, "I must go to Simpson's tomorrow. I have a lead on this Martine guy. A friend of Mr. Doyle's says he knows where Martine is hiding. Additionally the 'friend' has a way we can get in to talk the uncouth boor."

Jane had planned to see Campbell in the morning, but she knew Maura would go with or without her and that was unacceptable. Jane was not going to let Maura go out of her sight.

***SE***

The young couple lay in each other's arms. Jane watched her young lover sleep. The honey blonde teen had fallen to sleep almost before her head hit the pillows. The exhausted teenager had snuggled next to her dark girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek before succumbing to slumber.

Jane just held the snoozing noblewoman in her arms and watched the peacefulness surround the young heiress's face. Jane examined the facts of what was told her by their warehouse hostages and knew she needed to talk to Campbell immediately. They still had the two Clarke sailors imprisoned in the warehouse. They wanted go back to their ship, but Jane wasn't going to let them leave until their ship had set sail for the Far East. The dark Texan knew the men were untrustworthy and could risk tipping off Martine.

Jane cuddled her warm lover's body a little closer and drifted to sleep.

***SE***

The two young women were seated at the best restaurant in the London, Simpson's Grand Divan Tavern. Simpson's was noted for two things, its fine joints of meat and chess. All the best chess players in London frequented the tavern to enjoy a game and an excellent meal.

It would have been unseemly for two young unescorted women to eat at Simpson's so Hugh was their escort. The tall brooding man smiled as his young charge ordered him to be their escort. Maura had long heard of the tavern's two specialties.

The honey blonde heiress watched as Howard Stauton was battling Lionel Kieseritsky. Stauton was clearly the better player as each side attacked the other with little regard to their position or defense. Maura watched and analyzed the play. The young noblewoman sighed and went with her friends to her table.

The honey blonde Lady informed the waitress, "I am Lady Isles and I am expecting a guest, Adolf Anderssen. Would you be so kind as to inform him that I awaiting his company."

Those in the chess community were quite familiar with the two gentlemen that were playing their spirited game. Stauton was considered by most as the strongest player in the world, while Kieseritsky considered himself to chess's messiah. However, it was Anderssen, who had won the first championship tournament months earlier. Anderssen had in fact defeated both men in the single elimination format.

Anderssen needed funds to return to his school teaching job in Germany and upon hearing from a friend that the Lady Isles was offering a reward for the whereabouts of a Frenchman named Martine, he saw an immediate opportunity. The chess champion had met Martine in France years earlier as the old nobleman considered himself a chess master and had challenged the real master to a game. The old Frenchman was soundly defeated, several times.

Maura commented to Jane, "They are excellent players, but their style will eventually be replaced. They are too aggressive and that attacking style they play can be soundly defeated by anyone, who has the patience to play a solid defense. By playing a delaying defensive style, their attacking style will eventually present an opening, which the defending player can exploit for a resounding victory. I can foresee a time when this style of play will be considered amateurish."

The serving girl heard the comment and after serving the customer's their drinks, she went to tell the other servers what was said. The five serving girls all laughed at the obviously haughty noblewomen, who commented on things she knew nothing about. One of the girls went and whispered into Howard Stauton's ear.

The man turned red and continued his game until the Russian was soundly defeated. Kieseritsky reluctantly shook the winner's hand and went to the bar to get a drink. Stauton got out of his chair and strode forcefully toward the Lady's table, where he exclaimed, "I understand you think our style to be amateurish, young woman. May I ask how one so young and so obviously inexperienced could come to such a conclusion?"

The Lady redden a bit and was about to explain her comments, when Jane interrupted, "Mister, you had better mind your manners or I'll have to pin back your big ears a bit. Now, we were having a private conversation without intent of being overheard. You sir have big ears and an even bigger mouth and if you want to keep them, you will apologize to the Lady right now."

The older gentleman was taken aback by the strong and forceful words of the elegantly dress young teenager, who was strikingly beautiful and equally direct. Her threats were those of a man and if young American had been a man, they would be finalizing a duel at this very minute. However, the chess master was a gentleman and gentlemen never challenged ladies. Not wanting to appear weak the proud man responded, "If you were a man, I would strike you, but since you are obviously a colonial and ill mannered as the rest of the lot, I will excuse you."

The angry American stood tall and glared at the man, "Mister, you open the ball and we will dance to the fiddler."

Maura needed to end this before the poor man ended up dead on the floor. The anxious teenager interrupted the confrontation with, "I am the Lady Isles and this will stop right now. Jane, please sit. Sir, you will apologize for interrupting our private conversation. It was rude and unnecessary. Had you come over here like a gentleman, I would have explained my views to you. As it is you need a lesson in manners. I know your style of play will die in about twenty years.

A player will come along, he may exist right now, who will see that your attacking style, while manly is self defeating. A player, who is patient and trying to demonstrate his manhood, will play a solid defense while waiting for the eventual mistake the attacking player will make. You have to admit, you and your fellows make mistakes every game.

I have a proposal. I will play my style and you will play yours. If you win, I will give you 1000 pounds sterling. If I win, you will apologize to my friend and myself for your rudeness. Is that acceptable terms."

The arrogant man laughed and replied, "Young woman, you may be a fine young Lady and a noblewoman, but why should I a chess master play a child like yourself. Why don't you just give me the money and go to one of your grand parties, do you even know how to play chess?"

The proud noblewoman exclaimed, "Sir, I have been playing chess since I was three. I have not lost a game with my father or my tutor in six years. I am quite capable."

The chess master knew Lord Isles and he was an excellent player for a former sea captain, but he probably let his only child win to build her ego, so he asked, "Who is your tutor, child?"

The smiling honey blonde set her trap, "Professor William Talbot, retired professor of Oxford and my tutor of letters."

The man swallowed hard, but he reminded himself that Talbot may have been afraid to risk his employment, so he retorted, "How do I know they were serious in their play?"

Jane had had enough, "Mister, you insult her character one more time and you are going to bleed."

Hugh laughed, "Sir, I would not cross Jane Rizzoli. I have seen her take out a room of ruffians. You wouldn't even make her sweat. As for my Lady, her father never gave her anything in her life. She had to earn every bit of it. If you take her wager, prepare to lose."

That was the final nail in the coffin for the top chess player, so he said, "I'll take your wager… best of three."

Maura smiled, "You could make it the best of 101 and it would not matter."

***SE***

Harold Stauton had the first move and opened with a standard move. The vaunted chess master hoped to end this charade quickly and efficiently and avoid embarrassing a rich and power noble. The problem was, Maura refused to cooperate.

After eighteen moves, each side had only captured two pawns each. On move nineteen, the chess master attacked and took a knight, however he left a bridge between a rook and the king and Maura moved in and called check. Forced to move his king, he had only one square to move it.

When he moved the king and the honey blonde teen took the rook with her bishop, it left her knight temptingly exposed to Stauton's queen, which he rushed to take. Only the knight was cleverly covered by her queen, which took her queen and checking his king, forcing the frantic chess player to retreat back to his original square. Maura moved her bishop back to its bridging position for checkmate in twenty-four moves.

The shocked room was quiet, as the stunned chess master exclaimed, "That's only one game and I won't make that mistake a second time."

Maura smiled as she returned all her pieces to their starting positions and replied, "No you will make several others."

***SE***

Game two was a very different game. Harold Stauton tried desperately to curb his habitual need to attack on every move and scoured the board for every possible counterattack. However six-four moves into the game he could no longer resist the temptation to attack and the anxious man wanting to exert his manhood made a mistake and took a check that was rebuffed by a bishop that covered the man's queen, which he couldn't move to safety without placing his king in check. All the chess master could do was to cover the queen to take the bishop that took his queen. The pawn he used to cover his queen further exposed his king to attack. Fifteen moves later, he was in checkmate, losing the bet and some pride.

The beaten acknowledged chess king said quietly, "I offer my apologies to you and your friend for my outburst and readily admit that your style has some merit. Though as you can see by the length of the contest, continued play will expose it weaknesses. However, that does not mitigate my boorish behavior earlier. I let my pride override my good manners. I would like to make amends by buying you dinner. This establishment has the best meat joints in London and I would be honored if you would be my guest for dinner."

Maura smiled graciously and replied to temper the mood of the room, "I accept your invitation. However, there will be one more member to my party when Adolf Anderssen arrives. He is the reason I am here. I am to meet him here. Frankly, the man is a bit late. However, when he does arrive, he will be joining my party."

The man frowned as he responded with a bit of temperament, though not anger, "Had I known you played Adolf, I would have taken you more seriously. The man just won the world tournament I sponsored a couple of months ago. Why did you tell me you played him as well?"

Maura saw Jane tense and quickly interjected, "I am sorry if I give you the impression that I know Mr. Anderssen. We have never met. I understand that he has information that I require and I simply meeting him her to exchange passage to his home for the information. It is my understanding that the man is having difficulty raising the necessary funds to return to his teaching position."

The contrite gentleman answered, "Again, I must apologize. It seems my defeat is still damaging my manners. I made a false assumption. Mightn't I inquire as to the nature of this information. I may be able to provide it as further apology for my outburst."

At that moment, Adolf Anderssen appeared and interposed, "No need, Howard. I'm here and tell her what she needs to know."

***SE***

Adolf Anderssen was a friendly and well-liked man and was greeted fondly by everyone in the room upon his arrival. Additionally everyone had to tell him how Harold Stauton had been beaten in a best-of-three match by the young noblewoman. They also added her claim that their attacking style was flawed and would be replaced by a defensive waiting style, which she employed to win.

The gallant Anderssen examined the young woman with profound respect. Anyone who could soundly defeat Harold Stauton was a person of great skill. So when he approached the table and saw Harold talking cordially to the lovely young woman, he listened without wanting to interrupt. However, when he heard Howard offer to help, the impoverish school teacher needed to announce his presence. He could not afford to lose his passage home.

Upon announcing his arrival, he continued, "Lady Isles, I am Adolf Anderssen and I apologize for my tardiness. I went to get further information that took a bit more time than I anticipated and from what I hear I missed an exciting match."

Maura smiled sweetly and responded, "I accept your apology warmly, though no young woman likes to wait on any man. Mr. Anderssen, this young woman is my dearest friend, Jane Rizzoli and this is Hugh Jamieson, my protector and life-long friend. Won't you join us, Mr. Stauton was about to buy us dinner and I will stand the wine. Innkeeper, I would like your best wine, chilled it you have the ice."

After dinner and some polite conversation, Jane could no longer contain her anxiety as she asked, "What is your information, Mr. Anderssen?"

Howard Stauton rose to leave and exclaimed, "I'll leave this fine company to discuss business and I must again apologize for my rudeness and say that I have most enjoyed your company. I would love to play you again sometime, Lady Isles."

The polite young woman nodded her acceptance of the apology again and replied, "I would enjoy that as well. It was a pleasure to meet you."

After defeated chest master left, Lady Maura asked politely, "Where can I find Martine?"

The friendly chess master related, "I had a chance encounter with Monsieur Martine in the lobby of Mivart's Hotel on the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street. This afternoon, I went to the hotel and found out he has left there and is going back to France. It seems he found out someone is pursuing him."

Jane looked at Hugh and told Maura, "We have to get you home. Hugh and I have something we have to do."

***SE***

Jane and Hugh arrived at the warehouse office to find two sailors just like they left them, locked away tightly in the steel-reinforced office. Jane walked up to the first man and backhanded him, sending him to the ground with a loud thud. The angry warrior pulled a knife and charged the second man and sliced a long gash along his chest. Taken aback by the attack the man retreated, only to stumble over a chair and land hard on his back, stunning him.

The vicious fighter stomped on the man's exposed knee and shattered his kneecap. Pain exploded throughout the man's body as he screamed in agony. The dark Texan turned on the other man struggling to regain his feet, but the enraged American was quicker as she planted her booted foot on his chest forcing him back to the floor.

Then the merciless hunter retrieved a wooden chair and jammed it across the man's chest. Leaning over so the chair's support bar pushed against the stunned sailor's chest, restricting his breathing slightly, Jane looked the terrified seaman in the eyes and cut a piece of his ear with her sharp blade. The second tar joined the first in a chorus of screams. Jane said quietly over the den of wails, "Now, you are going to talk about your passenger Martine or I am going to start cutting pieces off you until you bleed to death. Then I'm going to start on your buddy. Of course that won't matter to you, because you'll be dead. Now, you lied pretty convincingly before, but now we know differently. So, talk or my next slice is a whole ear, then a nose, then I'll take your eyes one by one."

The horrified sailor stammered, "We diht lie Captain Clarke had nottin to do with the Frenchie, but we were drinkin wid one of Campbell's men and he talked about carryin a Frenchie. Campbell's man came in the tavern and saw ya and ran out."

Jane asked, "You mean Hugh or me?"

The trembling man stammered, "You, he saw ya and seemed to know ya and ran."

Hugh said, "The picture of you, which means we have a traitor working for Martine."

The cold Texan looked at the tall bodyguard with fire in her eyes and responded, "And I think I know who it is."

***SE***

Jane stormed into the London offices of Isles Shipping and strode right up to a startled Windell Bartlett. The enraged Texan grabbed the back of the man's collar and dragged him in a backroom, where she tossed him into a desk.

The manager was stunned quiet as his clerk landed hard against his desk. The wild American shouted, "This man betrayed your Lady. He has been feeding information to man who is trying to abduct my friend. I'm going to need your office to beat the whereabouts of this Frenchman out of him. So, you need to leave."

Hugh added, "You better go. This is not going to be pretty."

The startled manager responded, "I think I should stay and hear this. It looks like I'm going to have to sack the man."

Jane looked coldly at the quivering businessman and said, "He's gonna be sacked alright. Maybe after I'm finished, it'll be in more than one."

The squeamish director rose from his chair and left the room. The tall Texan pulled her bowie and stalked toward the whimpering man, who cried out, "Don't hurt me. I'll tell you everything."

The smirking American replied, "Of course, you will. But I think we need to demonstrate what happens to those who lie to me."

Jane approached the man and sliced a long gash down his right cheek and then another down his left. The weak clerk screeched in pain and when the angry brunette opened a cut in the man's chin, he squealed, "No more, he's awaiting new papers for harbormaster. I have them and he needs them."

The menacing teenager asked simply, "Where?"

The defeated and bleeding clerk answered, "Warehouse #4."

Hugh said, "I know the one."

Jane queried calmly, "Are you right-handed?"

The terrified scribe wet himself as he replied, "Yes."

As they left Jane stomped the man's right hand shattering every bone in his hand. They walked out of the office to a series of agonizing shrieks. As the pair passed the manager, the vindictive American ordered the wide-eyed man, "Patch him up and send him to sea. If I see him again, he dies."

***SE***

Hugh and Jane were in a rundown tenement building across from the two story warehouse. They were on the third floor of the four floor building, which was elevated enough to scout their target completely and low enough to provide convenient escape by dropping through a hole in the floor and going out the second floor window.

The building was occupied by a dozen impoverished families and several hundred rats and mice. The tender American took pity on its residents and made a mental note to talk to her girlfriend about some kind of employment, so they could get better living conditions. Most of the men were day laborers for the many warehouses and teamsters in the area and the women were cooks, clothes washers and seamstresses when they could get any work at all.

The pair study the layout of the building carefully. The warehouse had three entrances. The front and back doors were large double doors over loading platforms. The third door was on the left side of the building towards the rear under a set of stairs that to a large barred window. Jane asked, "What good are stairs, if the window is barred?"

Hugh replied, "The bars are like a door. They're latched, but not locked."

The pair watched the building to see how it was guarded. Two sailors, each with a cutlass and boarding pistol, guarded each of the three doors. Two other guards walked around the building armed comparably, while a rifleman manned the roof. Jane commented, "A lot of security for one Frenchman. Do you think something else is going on?"

The large bodyguard answered, "You're right something else is going on."

A wicked smirk crossed the dark Texan's face as she inquired, "You want to find out?"

The big man returned a knowing smile and replied, "Hell yeah!"

The tall American took out a bow and a quiver of arrows from a buckskin bag. While she expertly strung the bow, the experience leader suggested, "I'll take out the rifleman and the two guards on this side. You circle to the other side and take out the roving guards. I'll go in through the front and you the back. We exit out the barred window. By the time they know what is going on, we'll have Martine and be out of there."

Hugh patted the fiery brunette on her back and answered, "Give me ten minutes to circle around to the other side and then start the ball as you like to say."

***SE***

Jane carried a silver watch, which had been a present from her father on her tenth birthday. Carefully, the veteran fighter timed Hugh in order to give him the maximum amount of time to get into position. Exactly nine minutes and thirty seconds after Hugh let, the wily warrior pulled two arrows from her quiver. One the wild American put between her teeth and the other she held in her hand.

Using the arrow in her hand she sighted her first target, the rifleman on the roof. The experienced hunter knew if she didn't want the other game to flee, she had to kill the quarry without the other's knowledge. So, the savvy brunette waited until the man had paced several feet from the edge and then she sighted his heart. The cautious teenager didn't want the man calling out or screaming thereby alerting his confederates.

Jane took a deep breath and let the first arrow fly. The shaft dove straight and true and lodged in the dead man's heart. He immediately collapsed in a pool of blood. Leaving the second arrow between her teeth her next two shots were tricky. The deadly hunter was going to have to shoot two men before either realized the other had been hit.

The cagy Texan planned on releasing two shots within two seconds of each other. By placing an arrow in her teeth, the experience bowman knew that the time between shots would be reduce, not to mention the removal of the chance of an arrow hanging up in the quiver. As an additional precaution, the careful fighter was going to pull and draw a third arrow from her quiver to be on the ready should one of her shots go awry.

Jane sighted the first door guard's heart and let fly. Without looking at the first arrow, skilled archer took the second from her teeth and shot it at the second man's heart without targeting it. Quickly the veteran warrior notched another arrow and only then did she examine her handy work. Her second arrow had missed the heart and impaled the man's belly. He was about to scream, when another arrow imbedded itself in his chest.

Jane wasted no more time and leapt through the hole in the floor and landed in the second floor room. Then the athletic teenager propelled herself out the window and landed lightly on her feet in the alley between the two buildings.

***SE***

Hugh had had to circle to the front of the building and walk casually down the street before the scrutiny of the front door guards. The large Welshman didn't know if the sailors gave him even a glance, because he never tried to see if they did for fear of exposing his interest in the building. As soon as he passed the warehouse next to the guarded one he turned right into the alleyway beyond his target.

There was a rusty iron ladder that led to the top of the unsecured warehouse. The dark man quickly scaled it to the roof, which he crossed stooped over, so as not to be seen by the sniper on the roof across the way. The last few yards were crossed on his belly, as he awaited his signal to attack. From his vantage point he could see the rifleman pace from one side of the warehouse to the other. Stealthfully, Hugh pulled three knives from his belt and pockets.

The tough protector put one in his teeth and held the other two in his hands. He could hear the roving guards' feet hit the gravel beneath him, but the sniper on the other roof was still standing, so he started counting his head, until he counted to 156, when he heard them marched beneath his position a second time. At 97 of his second count the rifleman across the way, fell with an arrow to the heart.

The noise made by the fall of his rifle made Hugh flinch, but didn't raise a disturbance. The big man lost his count, but could feel them approach. The tall bodyguard rose to a crouch and could see the tops of the nomadic sailors' heads. When they were a pace from his position he leapt down, landing on top of the two men.

The three men were tangled, but the two guards were at a terrible disadvantage, as they were caught totally off guard and were startled into inactivity. One of them had absorbed most of the bulk of the heavy attacker and had had both his collarbones broken. He would have cried out in pain, but a knife to the throat silenced him.

The second guard was knocked backwards and fell to behind. Hugh jumped on the second sailor and covered his mouth as the large protector jammed a knife between his ribs and rip it upward until the dying man stopped squirming. The dark figure in the alley rose to a crouch and looked about to see if he had raised an alarm, no one seemed to have noticed.

***SE***

Jane with an arrow between her teeth rounded to the front of the building with her bow draw. The first guard must have saw something in his peripheral vision, because the sailor turned to see the arrow fly through the air and impale him. The second was too startled to raise an alarm as the second arrow embedded in his throat. He was flailing as his lungs filled with blood, but his suffering was short lived as a second arrow pierced his chest.

Jane climbed the platform to the front door. Passersby paid little heed to the action and kept moving in fear of incurring the wrath of the silent killer. The quiet fighter placed another arrow between her teeth and pulled the one from the man's throat and held it in her had unreadied as she quickly opened the door and stepped inside.

The tall brunette closed the door easily behind her and let her eyes adjust to the dimness of the windowless room. Notching the arrow in her hand, the wary warrior inched her way into the warehouse searching for her target. While moving forward, the cautious fighter noticed a crack of light appear and disappear from the rear of the building. Hugh had just entered the building.

Encourage by the knowledge that at least part of her plan was succeeding, the dark teenager move forward. She spotted a man moving across the scaffolding with his back exposed. The expert bowman let the arrow fly and embed itself into the man's back and through his heart. He fell to the floor with a loud thud. Crouching in the shadows with a fresh arrow notched, the experienced archer awaited a reaction.

Two men, who had obviously heard the falling man, entered the lightly lit area. The first man was impaled by an arrow before he could determine the source of the noise. The second man who had been expecting something had enough time to see the arrow spiked bodies of the two men before an arrow pierced his throat. A second arrow silenced him permanently.

Jane found a stack of boxes that look suspiciously like rifle boxes. One of the boxes had obviously been opened for inspection. The experience hunter pulled one of the rifles and recognized it immediately from an advertisement in Harper's Weekly. It was a Pattern 1851 Minié rifle. There were hundreds of boxes of the rifles, which meant thousands of rifles. The wily Texan took two of the weapons and put them in her quiver as evidence.

Working her way further into the room, she found other boxes of ammunition and LeMat pistols. The suspicious American took several of the pistols and put them in her buckskin sack. The smart girl then took several boxes of ammunition and put them in her bag. Then the bright brunette noticed a stairway that led to the scaffolding.

Carefully, the veteran warrior edged up the stairwell with her bow draw and searching for targets. There was no sign of Martine or anyone in charge of the warehouse. Jane chanced upon an office door, which she warily opened. The vigilant fighter found no one and nothing, but a desk and a chair. There were several papers and maps scattered about the desk, which the deft brunette scooped up and put in her bag.

The diligent Texan found the backdoor with the barred window, the team's planned escape hatch. So, the experience hunter did the smart thing and awaited her partner with the confidence he would find their target from his search of the back of the building.

***SE***

Hugh cautiously peered around the corner and spotted the guards with their eyes searching outward. Using the platform to conceal his movement, the dark bodyguard worked his way to just below the pair of sailors. He rose quickly as to keep his surprise advantage and threw a knife into the guard to his right and then he tossed the second knife into the guard on his left. Pulling the knife from his teeth, the dark protector leapt to the top of the platform with his weapon ready to repulse survivors.

One of the dying men was trying to raise an alarm, but was quickly silenced by a knife slice across his throat. The tall Welshman retrieved his knives and scanned the area for enemies and found none. So, he cautiously opened the door and stepped quickly inside.

The tough man waited a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The wary fighter scanned the area for a target. To his left were two men guarding a doorway, which obviously led to an office. This had to be where he would find Martine.

Hugh put one knife in his coat pocket and took one knife in each hand and charged the two door guards. The two sailors had been talking and not paying attention; stupidly depending on the exterior guards for an alarm should anyone try and enter the warehouse. They were caught flatfooted with their rifles leaning against the wall.

The huge warrior was slicing with either hand connecting with devastating accuracy. Both sailors were using their hands trying to keep the blood from draining from their throats when they collapsed from lose of blood. Hugh warily opened the door of the office and stepped inside to find two men talking from seated positions.

The older man behind the desk was probably Martine, but the cagy fighter couldn't make a mistake, so he held his bloody to his lips to tell them to be quiet. The tough Welshman strode up to the first man and pummeled him with the hilt of his blade, causing the man to wilt to the floor.

The second man held his hands in front of him in an effort to ward off the coming attack. It didn't help. With his other hand Hugh punched the man across the temple using his other knife pommel as a set of brass knuckles. The older man fell back into his chair…unconscious.

The big man found some rope in the room and tied the two men up. The savvy warrior searched the men's pockets and determined that Martine was indeed the elderly gentleman. The strong man lifted the wiry older man over his shoulder and found his way out of the room.

Burdened by the slight man, Hugh quickly scanned the room for a way up. The experienced fighter saw a set of stairs and rushed towards them. There, he quickly climbed the stairs carrying the limp form of the comatose Martine. The large Welshman found the door and quickly entered confident his partner was waiting on the other side.

Inside the room, the veteran bodyguard found the lovely brunette he had been expecting smiling at him. In the dim light, the alert protector noticed the wild Texan had two rifles in her quarrel, but now was not the time for questions. The dark American signaled that they should leave quickly.

Jane opened the barred window and the two scampered onto the rusty metal stairway that led to the alleyway. Jane led the way down with her bow draw and ready to kill. There was some commotion at the entrance. Police were arriving to investigate the dead bodies in front of the building.

Hurrying to avoid detection, Jane and Hugh rounded the back of the tenement and entered through the backdoor. The team rushed up the stairs to their third floor rented apartment to deposit their cargo and exchange their intelligence.

***SE***

Jane looked out the window to see what was happening, when she noticed that several men were escaping out the backdoor and black smoke was billowing out the of the darkened windows and open doors. Someone had set the place on fire. The canny Texan exclaimed, "We have to leave. That place is going to blow sky high and this tenement is going to be engulfed."

Not waiting for further information, Hugh untied his quarry and hefted the man over his shoulders and hurried out the door. The tall American shouted as they ran down the stairs, "Fire, everybody out. Fire, run for your lives."

Fire was a constant threat in wooden buildings with gas and kerosene lanterns, so everyone took the alarm serious and were streaming out of their apartments and rushing toward the stairway. Jane and Hugh were passing the second floor when the masses erupted running to the safety of the outdoors. The two fighters pushed and shoved their way through the bodies to make their way to the first floor. They were barely out the backdoor when the warehouse exploded like a large bomb.

The initial shockwave knocked everyone in its path to their backs and flames burst in all directions. The taller tenement building blocked all the debris in one direction and it was soon engulfed in flames. Jane and Hugh had missed the shockwave, but were quickly having to rush to safety away from the burning buildings that had surrounded the exploding warehouse.

Buildings were burning out of control and people were scrambling everywhere without any direction, as the trio desperately tried to navigate the maze of burning buildings and terrified residents and workers. Fire brigades in the 1850's were mostly privately fund and worked for profit. Individuals who had their fires extinguished would pay a subscription. Some business and wealthy landowners would pay monthly subscriptions for particular attention. However, if your building was totally engulfed and destroyed, you might be reluctant to pay, in which case, the next time you needed help it would as slow in coming as you were in paying.

Many extremely wealthy families, businesses and individuals had their own private fire brigades. The Isles family had six, one near their London villa, two in Swansea, and three by the Thames. All six fire crews had the latest pumpers and fire equipment. Additionally, each and every Isles building and warehouse had a fire hydrant for quick water access. All four Isles brigades responded to the emergency and were working feverishly to douse the fires.

Hugh, who was carrying the unconscious Martine, was have the toughest time. Between the smoke and heat from the flames, the big man was having a difficult time catching his breath. Jane was having a hard time, but she wasn't carrying an extra load.

Suddenly the pair were in a group of buildings, which were undamaged by the raging blaze. Several brigades were wetting unaffected houses, mainly because they were paid to do so.

Jane and Hugh managed to get their cargo to the same empty warehouse where they housed two severely wounded sailors. The doctor, who Hugh hired to tend to the injured men, was on site to examine his patients' progress, when the large man and tall brunette entered the room. The dark Welshman greeted the doctor, "Hello Dr. Taylor, how are your patients?"

The upset physician replied abruptly, "They'll live, no thanks to you."

The intimidating American interjected, "It wernt none of his fault, doc. I done it to 'em."

The doctor hrumpted and asked, "Another patient?"

The smiling bodyguard answered, "He's fine, doctor. There was a fire and we took him out of it."

The physician offered, "I could check to see if he took in too much smoke."

The tall protector responded, "That's fine doctor. I've just lay him on the cot."

***SE***

Maura was worried. The honey blonde Lady hadn't heard from either Hugh or her girlfriend in over six hours. To make matters worse, the concerned businesswoman had received word that three of her warehouses had been set ablaze. Not for one minute did the young heiress think the fires and her miss companions were a coincidence. As matter of fact, the savvy ship owner didn't believe in coincidences.

Word came about twenty minutes later, when a messenger from her hired service arrived with a large bundle of papers and a letter that read:

_Dearest Maura,_

_Hugh and I flushed out the scoundrel and are interrogating him as you read this letter. The bundle of papers was discovered in one of your warehouses, along with several boxes of French rifles, pistols and ammunition. I took samples of all the items before fire could destroy all the evidence._

_I was hoping that you could examine the recovered papers and determine where the arms and ammunition was intended. I think the answer will interest both your Queen and my President._

_ All my love,_

_ Jane Clementine Rizzoli _

Maura laughed to the room at the inscription. It was so like her love to write so formally. The intelligent noblewoman took the papers to her desk, before she started writing a response:

_Darling Jane,_

_Finish quickly as I expect you home for dinner and you know mother is a stickler for punctuality. Besides I miss you so much when you are absent. Hurry home._

_ Love you for eternity,_

_ Maura_

The honey blonde beauty place the letter in a personalize envelope, seal it and sprayed it with Jane's favorite scent. Then the great Lady handed it to messenger with a half crown tip. The young man grinned broadly pocketed the coin and rushed to deliver the written reply, while Lady Isles sat at her desk to examine the stack of papers.

***SE***

After examining the new patient, the doctor declared him fit and left to another house call. Jane and Hugh tied their new guest to the strong oak chair in the middle of the room. Impatient to start Jane threw a bucket of water at the man's face. The older man sputtered awake.

The angry Texan started, "Frankly, I hope you don't answer me. I want you to suffer. So, feel free to lie, so I can hurt you. Now, why did you try to kidnap Maura?"

The old man spat, "Because she is an aberration."

The upset brunette pulled a Bowie and jammed it through the Frenchman's right hand penning it to the arm of the chair. The terrified old nobleman screamed in agony, Jane smiled and stated, "Wrong answer, you're talking about the woman I love. Now, why did you try and kidnap Maura?"

Martine mumbled, "Because I wanted my granddaughter, she should be raise by someone, who will raise her properly."

The pair kept the questioning continuing for an hour, Martine kept making them work for the answers. Both his hands were penned to the chair, one of ears was sliced off and he was missing three fingers on his right hand. The doctor had been called in to treat the old man, who had aged another ten years that night.

Hugh said, "We don't know what they were planning and he isn't talking. He is one tough old bird. I think he'll die before we find out what the hell is going on."

Jane shook her head in agreement and said, "I hope Maura has found something in those documents. It could be our only hope. We didn't get the nest and like all cockroaches. If you only smoke them out, they'll just nest someplace else. We have to find the rest."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Evil That Man Do

Patrick Doyle was at the site of the warehouse fires only two hours after receiving the news on the road to London from Swansea. The Irish smuggler had heard that his Lady was going to London to track some French spy name Martine. The biological father of the young heiress couldn't let his ignorant daughter find out about her lineage from that arrogant oaf. So, the tough seaman set out to find Martine first and kill the man before he could talk to his granddaughter.

Then only hours from London, a messenger with whom he is familiar is galloping on the road to Swansea with news from his London contacts on the fire. The rider recognizes the man for whom is message is intended, so he stops Doyle to give him the message.

Two hours later, Patrick Doyle is sifting through the wreckage of a burned out warehouse. The expert smuggler and thief can smell a torch job when he sniffs it. Add to the arid smell of blown gunpowder and it wasn't hard to ascertain what had been stored here.

The black Irishman was aware of every shipment made by Isles Shipping and knew of no major gunpowder or weapons shipment pending. So this had to be the work of smugglers, who were using Isles Shipping facilities. This was not good. The angry smuggler was going to have to report this to his Lady and tell her about how he had failed her confidence.

***SE***

Maura was scanning the stacks of documents mentally cataloguing their contents. She had four stacks, invoices, letters, notes and diagrams. Besides the arms that Jane recovered samples of there were invoices for dynamite, blasting caps and fuses. There had been 100 rifles and 250 pistols and over 10,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as 100 barrels of gunpowder and other miscellaneous materials.

The letters were from a contact in Dublin, Ireland. The weapons and explosives were to be delivered there within two weeks. The plan had been to smuggle the goods using Isles ships, since they are considered safe by the Crown and only lightly regarded as smuggling threats. Lady Isles was not happy that her ships were going to be used to thwart the Crown. Additionally she had to wonder if other ships were being so used elsewhere.

Other letters were to a contact in Isles Shipping, a clerk by the name of Windell Bartlett. Her Ladyship's former employee had been a busy boy. Bartlett was going to have to be located and questioned about how many other shipments made it to Ireland and maybe other destinations.

The diagrams were of the police stations and military posts in Wexford, the county seat of County Wexford. County Wexford, only three years earlier was the place where the Young Irelander started their ill-fated rebellion against the Crown. It has long been suspected that not all the rebels had been captured and transported. Lady Maura was going to have to have an immediate audience with the Queen.

Three other diagrams really horrified the honey blonde teenager, one was of Buckingham Palace. The second was of her manor in Swansea and the third was of her manor in Notting Hill. They obviously had been planning on attacking her here and still could be, since many of Martine's men escaped before they fired the warehouse.

From the notes, the intelligent noblewoman had been able to glean four safe houses for Martine's operatives to hide in London. His attempt in Swansea had used local thugs and not his personal bullyboys.

Twenty minutes after the young Lady left her study to await her friends, Hugh and Jane arrived. Both were covered with blood. Anxiously the frightened young woman rushed forward to ascertain the extent of their injuries. Jane held up her hand to forestall contact, as she ordered, "Don't get any blood on you. It ain't ours. It's Martine's blood. That is one tough old man. We worked on him for a couple of hours and we couldn't get any further information from him without killing the sumbitch."

Maura smiled and ignored the blood as she embraced her wayward lover. Tear ran down the tender Lady's cheeks as she whispered, "You scared me to death. Do not do that to me again. My heart cannot take the loss and you must watch your language, Jane.

The good news is the documents you recovered told quite a story. The bad news is we have a lot of work to do and very little time in which to accomplish it."

***SE***

Jane and Hugh listened quietly as the sharp businesswoman and intellectual reviewed what she had uncovered in the recovered documents. Hugh was the first to ask a question, "So, what's our first move, Milady?"

Lady Isles commanded, "Hugh, you have to locate Bartlett. You can take Jane with you. I have to talk to the Queen, which mean s I have to get an immediate audience somehow."

Jane suggested, "Bribe somebody."

The shocked and naïve noblewoman answered tolerantly, "Jane, you may be able to bribe some bureaucrat at the local town hall, but you cannot bribe a court official of Queen Victoria. It just is not done."

The jaded American laughed, "You are sweet and innocent, but, Honey, it's been my experience that almost anybody can be bought, sold or bribed."

Hugh nodded his agreement as he interjected, "Milady, she is correct. I think you might approach a clerk or minor official in the Chancellor's office and he might be able to do something to expedite an audience."

The idealistic noblewoman wasn't totally convinced, but decided the situation required at least the attempt. So the honey blonde teenager said, "Alright, we will make the attempt but how should I go about it?"

Hugh replied, "You need Patrick Doyle. If anybody knows how to make a bribe, he does."

Jane nodded her agreement with the statement and interjected, "Glad that's settled. So I can go after the safe houses."

Lady Maura was not happy and said, "I wanted you to go with Hugh. You do not know London and you cannot beat them all by yourself."

Jane smirked, "Sure I can."

***SE***

Patrick Doyle arrived at Isles Manor on Notting Hill the next morning. The former criminal would have gone the night before, but he had been on the road for four days and fatigue had overtaken him. So, the Isles Shipping Manager had postponed his journey to report his findings the next morning.

Paddy had not come to Isles Manor because his Lady had summoned him, but because of what he had found out at the site of the four warehouse fires. The fact that he was going to be summoned was merely a coincidence, though neither he nor his Lady believed in coincidences. However, the dark Irishman believed in luck.

It was lucky happenstance that he arrived that particular morning for his Lady was penning a message to him as he approached the main gate. After an exchange of greetings, the harried Lady related the information they had gleaned from the procured papers. Then the angry smuggler started, "I came to tell you that all four of your dockside warehouses were damaged in the fire and that one had been torched. Until this moment, I had no idea why it had been torched. Now, we know.

The fact that they were able to accomplish so much under your watch is understandable. After all you have many differing interests to manage all around the globe. However, for it to happen under my watch is unthinkable. You have my most sincere apology for this lapse and you can have my resignation if you require it. The honey blonde teen laughed, "We have more important issues than who should have known what and when. It's obvious we need to change some things to keep this from ever happening, again, but that too is for another time.

At this moment, I need an audience with the Queen. It has been suggested that a bribe in the proper place might facilitate that audience. It has also been suggested that you might be the perfect person to know what to place that offer."

Doyle smiled, "As a matter of fact, I know the perfect place."

***SE***

After breakfast, Hugh had arranged for increased security at the Manor. The diagrams they had recovered were too complete and detailed to be other than an inside job. However, Hugh didn't have the time to investigate the matter. He had to find Bartlett.

The large bodyguard's first stop was at the Isles Shipping office where Bartlett had been employed. The big man asked to see the manager, who was not available, as he was out arranging for warehouse space to store incoming shipments, since the fire had damaged most their available storage space.

So, Hugh was forced to ask everyone that worked there if they knew where the former clerk lived. One of the other clerks informed him that the former clerk lived on Forcer Lane by Cheap Side. He didn't know the exact address, but it was more than he had a few minutes ago. So, the large bodyguard headed out to Forcer Lane.

***SE***

Jane rented a room in a boarding house across the street from the first safe house on her list of four. The intense American examined the protection for the place and found that they had two sentries on the roof of the building, two pair of roving sentries around the building and thirty-six pair of eyes within the building. They occupied the second and third floor of the five floor tenement building, which meant that civilians occupied the first, fourth and fifth floors.

Therefore, torching the building was out, beside it could spread to the other tenement buildings on either side. The observant Texan noticed that most of the noncombatants in the building worked at a textile factory three blocks from the rows of housing. In fact the two tenement buildings on either side of the target structure mostly lodged the same factory workers.

The workers gave the veteran hunter her entrance cover. The plan was dressed as one of the workers, the disguised fighter would mix with the returning workers and plod into the building with the ones returning home. Then, the fake wool worker would climb to the fourth floor and bluff her way into one of those apartments. From there and under the cover of darkness, the determined killer would repel to a third floor ledge and enter one of the apartment windows and kill everyone in that apartment as quickly and quietly as possible.

Jane had even identified which third floor apartment she would attack first. Each apartment was a room flat with three occupants, one stayed awake in a chair by only door into the room. However, the vigilant Indian fighter noticed one apartment was lax in its guardianship. Its occupants consistently slept during their watch. It had happened four of six times in their two hour watches without any reprisals. It was her best shot in.

With the worn clothing of a factory worker over her hunting outfit, which was fully accessorized , the confident warrior joined the trek to her target. As expected no one objected to her tagging along, after all they were tired after their twelve hour work day and what did they care. Without a single glance from the roving guards or the roof assassins, the fighting Texan entered the enemy safehouse.

***SE***

Paddy Doyle knocked on the expensive door of one Evert Vanderhoff, a Swedish merchant and one of the Chancellor's best friends. The two played whist with two other wealthy Swedish merchants every Thursday evening at the Fox and Hound Gentleman's Club. They let him win and the Chancellor's men looked the other way as they avoided paying tariffs on their imported goods, improving their profit margin.

The veteran smuggler was well aware of their illicit advantage and was going to use his knowledge to get the Chancellor to schedule an audience with the Queen with his Lady. A stiff and proper English butler answered the door. Lady Isles spoke, "I am the Lady Isles. I wish to speak to Mr. Vanderhoff. I have a very lucrative business proposition to discuss with him."

The butler opened the door widely to allow the famous and obvious wealthy Lady into the house as he said, "Please follow me to the drawing room, Milady."

The very formal man was not the least bit surprised when the young noblewoman was accompanied by three very formidable looking men, Paddy Doyle and two of his best associates. The tough Irishman was taking no chances with his daughter's safety. The experienced killer and thief had argued against his Lady exposing herself with so many after her, but the brave teenager refused to cower in her manor while others were risking their lives for her sake.

The house manager showed the party to a large room, luxuriously furnished with several couches and stuffed chairs. Finely woven wool tapestries lined the walls and a large portrait of a man and a woman hung over the large mantled fireplace. The fashionable Lady was show to one of the overstuffed chairs and asked, "Would Milady like some tea and biscuits?"

Maura answered politely, "That would be so kind and would you see to some cool water for my men?"

The butler smiled brightly. It was a delight to see that the lofty stationed young Lady was thoughtful and kind to her servants. Not all nobles were so inclined. The middle aged servant bowed in acquiescence and moved to announce his guests to the wealthy merchant and to get the necessary refreshments.

In short order one of the models for the large portrait over the mantel entered the room. The smiling blonde man beamed a bright welcome, "Good morning, Milady Isles, it is such a pleasure to finally meet my most successful competitor. My man says you wish to speak with me about some business arrangement. I know your people were seeking warehouse space and like my people told your man only this morning, all our space is being utilized at the moment, but should you require space in the near future, we would only be so happy as to oblige you."

The apparently arrogant tuff was gloating over the Ladyship's predicament had totally misread the purpose of this interview. So Paddy Doyle spoke to pop the puffed up dandy, "Milady, has not come here to barter with such an oafish commoner. She had come here to tell you she knows of your arrangement with Lord Truro and that she intends to make formal complaint before the Queen for unfair business practices.

As you know the Queen likes and admires my Lady and will listen and give much credit to her complaint. The Lord Truro will probably lose his office and you will be deported. However…"

The terrified merchant sat heavily on a nearby couch and asked, "What is you want?"

The delicate Lady smiled broadly and replied softly, "You will arrange a meeting for me with Lord Truro. The man hates women as you know and will not see me. You WILL arrange it. The meeting will take place her in one hour. Make it happen or you WILL suffer the consequences and should you think you can overwhelm my bodyguards and force your way from this situation. Be advised that I have forty men surrounding your Manor at this very moment. So you had better hurry and get this done before I finish my tea."

***SE***

Hugh had traced the former clerk to a rundown boarding house just off corner of Forcer Lane and Cheap Side. For a crown, the landlady escorted the dark bodyguard to the room where the villainess smuggler resided. The not so kindly old woman had told the imposing man that the wayward clerk was drunk in his room and had been on a two day bender.

The tough Welshman used the spare the key he had procured from the greedy landlady for an additional shilling to open the door to the dark, dingy and dirty apartment. The place had the smell of urine and stale ale. The one room residence had a small table with one chair and a small bed, which was presently occupied by a drunken former clerk. Clothes, papers, bottles and urine littered the floor of the room. Hugh was loathed to enter the place.

The giant bodyguard, not wanting to stay in the room any longer than necessary turned to the equally disgusted landlady and inquired, "Do you have a vacant room I can rent for a few hours?"

The enterprising older woman held out her withered hand in which Hugh placed another shilling. The money he had bribed this woman with, probably represent an entire month's rent for the whole building, but the dark bodyguard needed a quiet clean room in which to sober his target and then beat the necessary information from him. Inspired by the success of the information gleaned from papers recovered by Jane in their warehouse raid, the efficient Welshman gathered all the papers in the room, as well as the unconscious clerk before moving to a cleaner better lit room.

***SE***

Jane had forced her way into the apartment above the one she had targeted for entrance onto the third floor. The room was stuffed with a wobbly table and four well used chairs, there was one large bed surrounded by a several ragged curtains and two small cots next to the small stove in the room. Another stronger table with a neighboring pantry held a water basin and pitcher, four cups, four plates, three spoons, two forks and a pot of steaming watery soup. The tough Texan had obviously interrupted their dinner, so she said, "I want you to take your family to dinner. I want you to see a play or go to a music hall. I want you to be somewhere else for the next four hours."

The crafty American handed the surprised man a golden double sovereign and ordered him to, "Show your family a good time with that. Two more will be in your wash basin when you return."

The man made ten and six a week. The coin in his hand was nearly a month's wages and the promise of two like it was too much for the man as he said, "We'll do as ya ax. God bless ya mom. Me family'll say a prayer fer ya each night fer a fortnight, I swar."

The comparatively wealthy American accepted his thanks and rushed him and his family out the door. The veteran warrior had preparations to make and only fourteen minutes to do them.

***SE***

Lady Isles sat regally as she sipped on her never ending cup of rich Indian tea. The fact that the young noblewoman was awaiting a noble of higher station was not lost on her. By making the Lord Chancellor come to her, the regal blonde was demonstrating her superior position over his superior station.

Minutes before the menacing Lady's deadline, the High Lord Chancellor was led into her presence by the scheming Swede. Lord Truro spoke angrily, "How dare you command my presence. Lady Isles, I am the High Lord Chancellor, not some common street vendor to be dispatched for a farthing!"

The quiet and reserved teenager smiled sweetly as she responded, "As your time is to be valued higher than mine, I will get right to the heart of our discussion. I will require an audience with the Queen by five this evening or you will read in the Times about corruption in the High Lord Chancellor's office. Then I will have my audience with her Majesty to present evidence against you and your associates. I do have evidence by the way; I'm not bluffing."

The stodgy nobleman filibustered, "How dare you! Did you think I would sacrifice my family's honor in order to prevent some minor inconvenience for myself?"

Paddy Doyle interrupted by saying, "My Lord Chancellor, should the Queen hear of this scandal, you will lose your position as Chancellor at the very least. It is very likely, you will be sent to prison. Now let's stop mucking about when everybody in the room knows you're going to give the Lady what she desires."

The defeat Court official replied, "Be at the Palace by three."

***SE***

The Lady Isles wore her best gown and had had her corset tightened to the requisite 19 inches about her waist. The young teenager was not fully grown, but 19 inches was still a bit tight for the buxom blonde. However, Queen Victoria was a bit of a stickler on the subject and required all her Ladies in Waiting to adhere to the nineteen inch waist.

The honey blonde noblewoman was escorted by Lord Truro to the entrance of the Throne Room, where the Master of Ceremonies announced, "May it please your Majesties, the Lady Isles of Swansea."

Lady Maura walked boldly forward until she reached the appropriate distance from the twin thrones, where she stopped and curtsied to Her Most Royal Highness and her Consort. After being given permission to rise, the confident young woman said, "Your Majesty, if I could have a word with you in private about a matter of upmost importance and delicacy."

The Regal Queen asked, "What does the matter concern, Child?"

The honey blonde teen answered, "Louis-Napoleon."

With those words, the Queen shouted, "Sargeant at Arms, clear the court, except for my counselors and you had better summon the Prime Minister."

***SE***

Lord John Russell was a slim, slightly balding dark haired man, who loved wearing dark suits with broad bold silk cravats. Russell had been at odds with Henry Temple, Lord Palmerston, who was a staunch supporter of Louis-Napoleon. Recently, Lord Palmerston, who had been Foreign Secretary, had been forced to resign when he had recognized Napoleon's government following his coup with the permission of the Crown.

Lady Isles knew all this and was confident that Prime Minister Russell was going to enjoy her news, despite its serious nature. The energetic Prime Minister bowed to the Queen and turned to greet the young noblewoman next to him. The middle aged Lord took the young Lady's hand and kissed it, as he said, "I knew your father well. I have never met a finer or more noble man than Lord Isles. You have my deepest condolences. I'm sure you will uphold the highest standards by which he lived his life."

Lord Russell was nothing, if not the finest of politicians, but the Lady Maura was equally adept, as she replied, "Thank you for sympathy and let me say my father talked of you often and not only as an ally, but as a friend. It saddens me to come before you in my widow's weave to speak of treason and treachery to the Crown by a person in my employ, as well as agents for Louis-Napoleon."

Now, the young woman had the veteran politician's interest. The patient man waited for the young noblewoman to continue and for the next forty minutes, the delicate honey blonde related her tale. The intelligent young teen showed her evidence and told the Court of the contents of the destroyed warehouse and the reasons behind the resent fires on the Thames.

The Queen sighed as she looked her Prime Minister and said, "We have to know if this Martine was acting on his own or under orders from Louis-Napoleon. Lady Isles, you say that the man has been questioned with great vigor and refuses to talk."

Lady Maura bowed her acknowledgement of this truth, as she replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I am confident that the individuals that endeavored to get the information used every means at their disposal to ascertain the answer to that very question. I was told that the next step to getting that answer might kill the elderly man."

Lord Russell was a man of law, not of violence and torture, but this was a serious matter and therefore he commented, "I think we need to have our own people question the man. Lady Isles, could you see that the man is delivered to the Tower immediately? I will see to his reception."

Lady Isles bowed deeply and responded, "I will do as you ask. However, no disrespect intended, your people are novice compared to the person I had do the interrogation. She is an American Indian fighter from the wilds of West Texas. She learned her techniques from the Comanche Indians. I doubt your people have had such rigorous training."

The Queen seemed delighted as she beamed, "Do you mean you employ an untamed American cowboy? That sounds interesting, we must meet this person. Do bring her day after tomorrow. We would also like to chat her up on her interrogation and her insights on the status of the slave situation in America."

Maura bowed her acquiescence, but regretted exposing Jane's identity. The young noblewoman did not know how her wild lover would act before her Queen, who demanded the strictest of protocols. However, there was little the young teen could do, but comply with the wishes of her Queen.

Lord Russell asked, "Where is this American at this moment?"

The concerned young woman confided, "I am not quite sure. The plan was for my man Hugh to question the traitor Bartlett and for Jane to destroy the French safe houses. I would imagine, she is engaged in destroying the first as we speak."

The outraged Prime Minister exclaimed, "One woman against so many trained French operatives, how can she possibly accomplish such a feat on her own?"

Maura was very worried over her girlfriend's fate, but she also knew of her wild Texan's capabilities, so she replied, "Lord Russell, Jane Rizzoli is a force onto nature. It is my understanding that she killed her first Indian when she was ten. This is a person, who has lived in the wilderness on her own for years. I would be more concerned with how much of the city she will damage in her attempts to destroy these safe houses."

The concerned Lord responded, "Still in all, I will dispatch soldiers to find her and assist her in her endeavors."

***SE***

Jane stood on the ledge outside the window of the French soldier's room. The window was open to let cooler air into the hot room. The day had been warm and humid and the room needed some fresh air. The convenience of the open window was anticipated, but not expected.

The dark warrior waited silently until the occupant in the chair by the door was nodding. With a blade in each hand she was momentarily silhouetted in open window. It would do the dozing guard no good as her blade sailed across the room embedding itself in his throat. A gurgling sound was all that he could manage before he choked on his own blood.

The men sleeping in the cots took less effort. These men would not survive a day in the Western American wilderness sleeping so soundly. With her other knife the Texas warrior slit their exposed throats without effort or remorse. These men were a threat to her Maura and that was not to be tolerated.

Now with a base of operation, the veteran fighter was going to launch her attack on the remaining five rooms on this floor.

***SE***

Hugh half dragged and half carried the semi-conscious Bartlett to the fresher room. It was furnished just like the Bartlett room, but was clean of any urine smell. The large Welshman dropped the groggy clerk onto the room's cot. On the nightstand was a pitcher of fresh water, which he picked up and poured over the face of the ale soaked man.

The grimy balding clerk choked a protest, "What the bloody hell are ya doin'? Leave me be. Haven't ya and that American whore done enough to me?"

The menacing hulk loomed over the smaller man and replied, "Bartlett, you will answer my questions truthfully or you are going to start losing body parts. Do you understand me?"

The frightened man went numbed with fear, as the giant bodyguard removed three knives from coat pockets and placed them reverently on the table he had pulled by the cot. He repeated his question with the same implied threat, "Do you understand me?"

The terrified clerk could only nod his acknowledgement before the dark protector asked, "How many shipments did you make for the Frenchman Martine? What were in those shipments and where were they bound? You need to know this, we have documents in our possessions that link you and Martine in a scheme to smuggle arms into Ireland. That my friend is treason and the only way you are gonna be able to avoid the big drop is tell me what I need to know. Then it will only be transportation to some wilderness colony."

The horrified clerk realized he had been caught and was desperately trying to think of way to lie himself out of his troubles, so he said in hopes of delaying for time to think, "What are you talkin' about? I only arranged for a Frenchman to come to London secretly? What shipments?"

Hugh shrugged and took a knife and jammed it through the man's right thigh, as he said, "Wrong answer."

***SE***

Jane opened the door to the room quietly and only a crack. There seemed to be no one in the hallways. The efficient killer pulled her used blade from the man slumping in the chair and lowered him to the floor. It would do for the man to fall with a thud from his seated position at the wrong time.

After cleaning the blade with his clothing, she put the blade between her teeth, while sheathing her other weapon. Then softly the veteran Indian fighter eased herself into the hallway. With three rooms across from her and one to either side, the experience warrior chose to attack the room directly across from her beachhead.

The wily Texan had examined the door to her new room and knew that the door jams were flimsy and old. They would give with only minimum force, but it was too soon for such a noisy action. The cagey American had also examined the locks and knew that one key fit all. It provided little security for the tenants, but made it easier and cheaper for the owners.

Using the key the wild teenager had recovered from her dead roommates, she quietly unlocked the opposing door. Jane pulled another knife from its sheath, while keeping the first between her teeth. Then quietly and gently the veteran killer turned the door knob and when the door lost all resistance, she burst into the room and a well practiced stroke she impaled the man sitting by the door through the eye with her blade.

With a twist she removed her weapon and gingerly helped the dead man to the floor. Neither of the room's other two residents moved, as they slept the sleep of the dead.

***SE***

Hugh left the knife protruding from the injured man's thigh with blood oozing slowly from the freshly administered wound. The big man said, "That wound looks serious. If it isn't treated soon, you could bleed to death. Now let me ask you again. How many shipments did you make for the Frenchman Martine? What were in those shipments and where were they bound?"

Pain was pounding through the weak man's brain. The sheltered clerk had never really experienced any real level of pain before and was not liking the sensation. The pain made it difficult to concentrate on fabricating a plausible lie. Additionally, the city man was worried about bleeding to death and wanted the foreign metal removed from his leg. However, when the slight man attempted to remove the blade, he was prevented from doing so by the tall bodyguard, who said, "I wouldn't do that. You will bleed out faster if you remove that blade. Now, answer my questions or feel the second blade."

Not wanting to injure himself further, the wounded clerk moaned, "Please, don't hurt me anymore. If I talk, they will kill me."

Hugh laughed, "Believe me. They have their own problems right now."

***SE***

Jane just finished cleaning out the fourth room as quietly and efficiently as the first three, when things took a terrible turn. The pragmatic American knew that there were no coincidences in life, but there was luck. For most of her life, luck had been the wild Texan's best friend, but this time luck had betrayed her.

As the effective killer cleaned her knife for the umpteenth time this night, the door to the room opened and two stunned men returning from their guard duty stood outlined in the light of the open doorway. They stood rigid in hesitation for only a moment but it was long enough to find out that a blade had grown in their respective chests.

Again in shock, they hesitated a second time, long enough for the veteran killer to cross the room and slice their throats. Now, the efficient warrior had to hurry. The other guards were going to notice their relief soldiers were not arriving.

No longer in stealth mode, the human weapon launched herself at the last two rooms on this floor. Using her foot, the tall Texan kicked in the front door and slashed the throat of the door guard, who jumped from his chair as the mean American charged into the room slicing the stunned guard across his throat.

As his body thudded to the floor, the two sleeping men startled awake. The two Frenchmen were dazed and unable to identify their danger until it was too late. Both me were downed by a thrown knife puncturing their chests.

The chaos in the room had alerted the three men in the other room, who were greeted by stinging gunfire as they charging out of their doors. The prepared warrior empty two of her LeMats into the three Frenchmen, who died without finding out what was going on.

With her cover blown and an army of fighters charging this floor, the battle hardened fighter went out the window of the third floor apartment. From its ledge, she dropped to the second floor ledge. From there the tough Texan dropped to the street below the tenement.

The wily American knew that they would see all the dead bodies and would be scrambling to remove all trace of their stay and flew to a new location. Jane rounded the corner and waited to follow the desperate fugitives to come flying out the compromised tenement. The wily Italian's plan was simple, as the rats left the sinking ship, Jane would follow them to the next location.

***SE***

Bartlett had trouble focusing past the pain, but strength born of desperation had a hold on him as he explained, "Three months ago, a man named Reilly came to me with a proposition. If I could arrange to ship a crate to New Orleans, he would pay me twenty pounds sterling. I accepted.

Then it was five crates to New Orleans. Then it was a ship load to New Orleans. Each payment was bigger. I didn't see any harm with shipping things to American, but a month ago, things changed. I was asked to ship arms to Ireland. At first, I refused, but they said if I didn't they would inform her Ladyship of my activities. So, I change my mind.

I have a book hidden under my mattress with all my transactions. I kept close records in case I got caught, so I had something to bargain with."

It was abundantly clear that the greedy clerk had not been spending much money on his residence, so Hugh asked, "Where is all the money?"

The pain had yet to override his avarice, so he replied, "I gambled it away."

Hugh immediately dismissed this explanation as out of character. Not convinced by that lie, the dark bodyguard grabbed the knife in Bartlett's thigh and gently twisted it. The pain from that action was enough as the twisted man screamed, "In my books under the bed between the pages in ten pound notes."

The sharp protector tied each of the broken man's wrists to a leg of the cot before leaving the room. The big man locked the door as he left and strode down the hall to Bartlett's room. The tall bodyguard took a deep breath and held it as he entered the rancid dwelling. Desperately trying to hold his breath as much as he could, Hug retrieved the record book and the books containing the money."

***SE***

Lady Maura left the throne room with Prime Minister Russell, who had dispatched a squad of soldiers to return Martine and the other prisoners for further questioning. The fashionably dressed young Lady didn't fail to notice her director, Patrick Doyle, had disappeared. The dark Irishman was supposed to have waited for her return from the throne room and escort her home.

Her three bodyguards and carriage awaited, but Doyle was no where present. Slightly miffed and very curious the honey blonde noblewoman asked, "Where had Mr. Doyle gone?"

The head of her protection team replied, "He did not say, Milady, but he left this letter."

The agitated Lady tore open the note and read:

_Milady,_

_I have just received news of a second shipment leaving tonight on an Isles shipping clipper. I have gone to intercept it before it leaves port. Additionally, I have gone to see if our guests have any other surprises we do not know about._

_ Your obedient servant,_

_ Patrick Doyle_

The frustrated teenager handed Lord Russell the hesitantly penned letter, which he read quickly. A second shipment of which furious Lady knew nothing meant another traitor somewhere. The powerful noblewoman knew what she would have to do, as she said, "My Lord Prime Minister, it is obvious that my company has more than one traitor in its ranks. I give you my solemn oath that I will ferret them out and dispose of every traitor."

Lord Russell was once again impressed by this fiery young woman with so much wealth and power, yet so much humility. The seriousness of the matter was not lost on her, nor did she shirk her responsibility in it. The young noble had not sought to hide the matter from the Crown, nor did she try to shift blame for the lax in security within her company. Many older nobles would have tried to cover up things or blame an underling. Not Lady Isles, instead she has taken responsibility and gone about correcting it. So the impressed nobleman replied, "I think we need to dispatch a squadron to help Miss Rizzoli dispatch those safe houses. There may be several we do not know about."

Maura agreed and the Prime Minister ordered a squadron to go to the first tenement on the list of four.

***SE***

Jane had followed the retreating group of twenty men through the streets of London until they entered a ruin down warehouse on the Thames. It had not been touched by the recent fire, but age and disuse had decayed it, until it was no more than a leaky roof with four drafty walls.

The soft footed warrior circled the warehouse and peered inside. It was poorly lit, but she could see that blankets and cots litter the floor. Additionally there appeared to be a small cooking area. It was still summer and heat was not going to be a problem. Without other civilians to worry about and the disorder coming from their rapid change to this location, the veteran fighter knew she had to keep pressing them.

So without any attempt at stealth, the deadly killer pulled out two of her loaded LeMats and kicked in the back door. Firing the deadly weapons from the hip, Jane shot everyone that stood between her and the front door.

Martine's men had travelled through the City unmolested and had reached what they perceived as safety. The enemy had gathered together to receive instructions and were unprepared for the sudden attack. The disorganized circle was in chaos as several men dropped to ground bleeding as bullet after bullet entered their private space.

Before they could react ten men were down. Five of the others ran for the front door, while the other five just threw up their hands. Jane didn't have the time nor the wherewithal to handle prisoners, so the efficient warrior shot them. It was not very sporting, but this was war and her resources were limited to her eight pistols, four knives and two tomahawks.

Only one man made it out the front door before the others were dispatched. The experience warrior had no mercy in her. These men had declared war on her lover and so they had earned no quarry. Taking an unused pistol from her belt the crack shot took aim and shattered the man's knee as he ran down the street. Without pausing to see if there was any wounded the menacing figure strode over to the wounded man on the street.

The ominous fighter loomed over the howling man on the ground. With no forgiveness in her heart, the lethal killer stepped on the enemy's wounded knee and pressed hard before she said, "Tell me what you know."

The man screamed in pain, but told her everything he knew. The frightening American strode away with everyone on the streets hiding, praying she wasn't there to find them.

***SE***

The squadron of soldiers had reached the first house, only to find several policemen there. Apparently they were too late to help. The entire third floor was littered with bodies and witnesses had seen several others fleeing in the night.

Without any clue as to where the portentous Texan had gone, the lieutenant of the squadron ordered them to the second site on the list. When they arrived they were confronted by a tall brunette wearing rawhides and with guns strapped everywhere. The menacing figure asked, "Y'all chere to hep? Iffin y'all're not, jest stay out of the way."

This second location was an abandoned gristmill with rooms in back for workers. The haughty lieutenant replied, "We have been dispatched by the Prime Minister to assist a Miss Jane Rizzoli in apprehending or dispatching French operatives spying in London. Are you Miss Rizzoli?"

The lovely, yet deadly young woman smiled a very beautiful and disarming smile, as she responded, "I should smile. I be her. Iffin, y'all ere chere to hep. Then, this'll be easy. What be y'all's name?"

The experienced soldier answered, "I am Lieutenant Arnold Havenshem of the Queen's Royal Guard. Tell me what you would have us do and I will direct my men accordingly."

The veteran leader's smile broadened, this man was a good leader. He was cooperative, but wasn't going to relinquish control of his men. The experienced warrior liked this man. So the intimidating brunette replied, "Y'all go out front and I'll flush 'em from the back. It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel."

The indignant Lieutenant responded, "Madam, I have been order to capture these men if necessary."

The wily Texan said, "Lieutenant, we have two more of these sites to weed out. Do you have the manpower for prisoners? We have no choice. If we had more men, then we could spare a couple to handle captives, but we don't. So, we have to deadly and efficient. We let the police care for any wounded enemy we leave behind, but we can't worry about them. We have to worry about us. Not only can't we take prisoners, we can't afford to have any of our people wounded."

The veteran officer saw the logic in the young woman's reality and accepted it. He also noticed that her folk some accent had disappeared. Lieutenant Havenshem dispatched his men into an arrangement to fully cover the front door, as Jane went around back to flush her quarry.

***SE***

Lady Maura returned to the Manor and found no one had returned. The young teenager had not eaten since leaving for the Palace and was ravenous. The hungry noblewoman ordered a meal and went to the empty dining room to eat and worry alone.

***SE***

Hugh dragged Bartlett to the warehouse where he had left Martine and the captured sailors lock up and in the care of the doctor he had hired. When the big bodyguard arrived he found only dead bodies and a distraught doctor. The shocked Welshman asked, "What happened?"

A haunted look was fixed on the man's face as he answered, "I don't know. I went out to get some more laudanum and when I returned I found this. Why did you have me treat them, only to kill them?"

The worried protector replied, "Doctor, I had nothing to do with this and the Lady didn't order this done. Frankly I have no idea who did this or why. We have to go. Whoever did this might come back."

As they started to leave, the Queen's guard arrived to see the carnage.

***SE***

Jane stealthfully entered the mill through the back door. The wily Texan saw a stack of rotted grain sack, dry and decaying from age. Using her tender box, the cagy American set fire to the rancid stack of decaying burlap. To avoid the smell and smoke, the veteran fighter raced out the back door and waited. It didn't take long several men in only their underwear staggered out of the smoke filled mill.

They were met by bullets flying from the deadly brunette's twin Le Mats. Rifle fire could be heard from the front of the building as men fell to the ground bleeding at the feet of the merciless Texan.

***SE***

Hugh and the doctor explained what they had seen, while the doctor patched up the leg of the wounded clerk. The tall bodyguard explained, "This is the traitor that has been using Isles Shipping clippers to transport illegal goods. These men were sailors we used to track the shipments and the man on the cot was the Frenchman we believed to be the ringleader. However, that may have an incorrect assumption. From the looks of this room someone else is involved or maybe even running things."

The commander of the guard responded, "Why would he kill his own men?"

The veteran protector answered, "To prevent them from talking."

***SE***

Reinforcements arrived at the third safe house. It seems that the Lieutenant had a conscious and though he saw the pragmatism of taking no prisoners, it went against his grain. So he had dispatched one of his men to get reinforcements.

Now with three squadrons of Royal Guards, Jane had the manpower she needed to overwhelm a target. The roving guards of the tenement building were quickly arrested. There was no saving the roof lookouts, who were shot by two pairs of Royal Marksmen.

The soldiers entered from the front and back doors and matched smartly up the stairs and down the halls. After bashing down the doors and arresting the occupants, the trained warriors rounded up the prisoners and bound them together.

Four men were detached from the war party to march the prisoners to the gaols. Jane gave the Lieutenant the final location and left it in his more than capable hands. The weary leader asked, "Where are you going? I don't know you well, but I know you enough to know you have something else on your mind."

The dark teenager smiled, "I got further information from a man I questioned. It seems there is a second shipment that we didn't know about. I am going to stop that shipment."

***SE***

Patrick Doyle had ten men with him. The idea was to use his authority to order the ship's captain to stand down. The men were there to insure that the captain obeyed that order. The head of all shipping in the Isles Empire was recognizable to all of the company's ship captain and this ship captain was no exception.

When Captain Howard saw the tall former smuggler approaching, he ordered the gang plank hoisted. He was ordering his ship to sea, when a hole appeared in his chest and the sound of a large rifle boomed through the night. The Captain collapsed. A second bullet with its accompanying sound hit the sailor at the wheel. Everyone on board the ship stopped moving and dove to the ground cowering behind something in an attempt to conceal themselves from the booming rifle.

Doyle boarded the ship and ordered his men to seize everyone. He was accompanied below deck with two of his bullyboys and found that for which he was looking, Franchot Rambault, a French bourgeoisie and a known supporter of Louis-Napoleon. The man lay dead on the bed in the captain's quarters. He had killed himself, by jamming a knife into his throat. He died horribly and without revealing his purpose if his activities were sanctioned by Louis-Napoleon.

Doyle searched the cabin and the man's belongings and found a few papers and a large sum of British paper money. A search of the captain's belongings revealed he had many of these ten pound notes in his possession. The bribe had been his death sentence.

At that moment, the author of that sentence entered the cabin, Jane Rizzoli. The tall Texan saw the body and cursed it. They weren't going to get any answer from him.

***SE***

Jane looked about the room and commented, "There's something wrong. This ain't rat at all. If you were gonna kill yourself, would you stab yourself in the throat like that. I mean wouldn't you at least make sure you opened your jugular?"

Doyle responded, "He was in a hurry. He heard the shots and then had to act quickly."

The veteran hunter shook her head negatively and replied, "No, still don't make no sense. How did he know we war winning? Jest as easily his people could have been getting away. Thar had to be someone in chere who done the killing to make this guy look like the boss. Thar's somebody else on this ship. We need to go alookin in the hold."

The tall Irishman thought about the logic of her argument for a moment and decided it made sense, so he answered, "Okay, I'll keep a man here to make sure nothing leaves this cabin and in case this someone comes back for something."

With one of Doyle's men the two warriors left the cabin in search of the missing boss.

***SE***

As the three hunters moved toward the hatch for the upper hold, Jane had a question, "There are two holds, right?"

Doyle responded, "Yes, both accessible by the hatch on deck. The hatch for the lower hold is directly below the hatch for the upper hold. That way you can lower supplies and cargo by block and tackle into the holds."

Then the wily fighter queried, "Is there another access?"

Doyle thought for a minute and cursed the oversight, as he ordered his man, "Go to the crew's quarters and guard the crew access to the upper hold. Block the entrance as best you can and then make sure no one gets out."

As the man raced back toward the crew area to accomplish his task, the two remaining hunters strode toward the hatch covered hold. Jane asked another question, "How do you normal get down?"

The former smuggler was quite conversant with the ways of a ship and replied, "You would climb down the cargo net or use the crew entrance. The crew entrance is a small stairwell, easily defended. I think we need to go down the hatch opening."

Jane thought for a second and could see no way that climbing down a cargo net was any safer, so she said, "Climbing down a cargo net will leave anyone doing it very exposed. I think we need to go down by rope. I propose we take the lines for lowing the cargo net and slide down them into the hold."

Doyle shouted, "Man the blocks men. I want to be lowered into the hold."

***SE***

Jane put on thick rawhide gloves and took the rope and jumped into through the hole in the hatch and slide down the rope into the dark hold. Once the experienced warrior reached the ground she drew two of her pistols and waiting on Patrick Doyle.

After a few seconds, the veteran warrior heard a loud thud as the former smuggler's feet touched the ground. Doyle took a lantern from his belt and lit it with some embers from his tender box. The lantern was place on the ground to give some dim light to the dark cargo area, but not enough to give away their position.

It wasn't long before the pair encountered some resistance. Several shots attacked a position over ten feet to the pair's left. However, the pistols had just shown the two veteran killers positions. Jane recorded where the pistol flashes originated and fired two quick shots in that direction. Her aim was true as she heard the sound of a bullet hitting a man followed by a large thud of a body hitting the ground.

The pair of gunmen worked their way through the cargo area firing at targets when they were sure the Frenchmen were hiding. Finally they made their way to the door that led the crew's quarter. The door was ajar and the man that Doyle had sent to cover it lay dead just beyond it. Their target had gotten away.

***SE***

Hugh was the first person to return to Isles Manor. He had desperate news about Martine and the other prisoners. Someone, who had known where the prisoners were being kept, had killed them. There had been no evidence or clue as to whom that someone was.

The honey blonde teenager was worried about her girlfriend and curious about the whereabouts of Patrick Doyle, who seemed to have disappeared. After hours of worry, the two authors of that worry entered the manor. The quiet and demure Lady rushed into the arms of her American lover and cried tears of relief.

Jane didn't quite know what to do, except hold the weeping young noblewoman. Unsure of what to say to calm her young lover, the dangerous American said, "Huh, I'm fine… not a mark on me… we cleaned out all four safe houses. The last two were all done by the soldiers. There were plenty of captives to question. They might have some answers."

The relieved honey blonde teen simply cried harder. The young woman had realized how much she had been concerned. The timid brunette stroked her young friend's hair, while Doyle, Hugh and the servants looked on in embarrassed concern. Finally, Doyle suggested, "I think we all need a meal and then some rest."

Lady Maura released her death hold on her lover, but then gasped her hand tightly, intending never to let it go. The bright Lady ordered, "Serve dinner and some chilled wine. I am positive everyone could use some spirits after the day's long ordeal."

Jane had not realized how hungry she was until dinner was mentioned. It was after nine p.m. and she had not eaten since breakfast. In the wilderness, the veteran hunter had gone days with no more than hardtack and jerky. However, like all hunters, the young woman ate when the opportunity arrived.

***SE***

Jane staggered up the stairs to find a hot tub awaited her. A shy honey blonde, who held the dark brunette's hand tightly, said, "I thought you could use a hot bath."

Moved by the act of kindness and by the realization that the bright young heiress was right, the wild Texan pulled the lovely girl into her arms and kissed her with all the passion that was in her soul. When the pair broke free of their kiss, the ominous American asked, "Do you think you could scrub my back?"

The excited noblewoman replied with a wicked smile, "I will scrub more than that."

***SE***

A naked Texan sat in the steaming copper tub, sighing as the pains of all today's action drained from her body into that hot steaming water. Through the heat of the water a shiver of delight overcame the young teenager as a light touch of a wet soapy rag rubbed across her back. It felt so good.

As the cloth rubbed the hardened muscles of her back, a clothless hand squeezed and kneaded the tired muscles of her shoulders and neck. A soft moan of pleasure escaped the tense American's mouth to the immense satisfaction of the honey blonde teenager doing the rubbing."

Encouraged and emboldened by her lover's purring response, the beautiful Lady dropped the cloth and began to massage her lover with both hands. It felt so good that Jane purred, "That feels so wonderful, but if you keep that up I won't be able to finish my bath."

A smiling heiress replied, "Well then, let us get you clean, so I can soil you properly."

***SE***

A clean sapphic goddess arose from the soapy water. The bronze body of the lean Texan glistened from the soapy water that cascaded down her lovely form. However, not all the moisture that flowed down her legs was from the soapy water. The sensations were still new and still very intense in the inexperienced brunette. The veteran warrior could face fifty armed men and not feel an ounce of doubt or fear, but before this small demure young woman, she was helpless.

A soft terry towel rubbed her back and slid down her hard muscles. Maura hand fell off the towel and started caressing the tall Texan firm smooth bottom, the stimulated teenager purred, "You seemed to have lost your towel."

A wicked smiled etched the young teen's face as she responded, "I have not LOST a thing. I got rid of it. It was interfering with my hands."

The excited American whirled around and captured the honey blonde's lips for a prolonged kiss. Then the fiery teenager mewed, "How about we finish this in bed?"

***SE***

Maura's hands were roaming down her intense lover's taunt stomach when she noticed a huge black and blue mark covering half of it. Sensing more than seeing the wince when her hands grazed the spot, the young Lady asked, "How did this happen?"

The bruised fighter chuckled, "I let one of those tuffs get in a lucky blow. I was busying fighting three of them when one tried to stop me with a wooden plank. He used it wrong or I could have been in trouble. Hell, I get worse than that when I'm wrassling a longhorn to the ground."

The younger woman was a bit confused as she asked, "What is a longhorn?"

The shocked Texan smiled as she answered, "You buy them from me all the time. Where do you think all that beef comes from? Texas cows have long horns that can fight off a grizzly."

The concerned honey blonde offered, "When we get back to Swansea, I will show you a Hereford and you will see where we get our beef. Meanwhile, let me get some liniment to treat that bruise."

The intense brunette snuggled closer and whispered, "Honey, I got more bruises than that one and they will all heal on their own. They always have. I need healing of a different sort from you and I need it now."

The rich and power noblewoman purred, "I love it when you get all demanding. It is so refreshing from all the groveling I have withstand every day."

The independent American chuckled, "Poor little Lady…I know you don't like being a noble Lady and all, but it beats being one of the poor. Not that someone like you would stay poor long."

Maura snickered, "Enough talk and more action."

Jane just smiled, "I'm game."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Notes: This was a difficult chapter. Between finding time to write with so many family matters whirring around and researching what it was like in the court of Victorian England, it was slow going. But here it is. Remember all comments are welcome and appreciated, even if they hurt.**

Chapter 12: Mexican Standoff

The next morning while the young couple was about to enjoy a welcome breakfast after a night of frivolity, a message came from the Prime Minister's office. Lady Maura broke the seal and read:

_My Dear Lady Isles:_

_I would appreciate the pleasure of your company and that of Miss Rizzoli at a luncheon today for a Special Ambassador of Trade and Commerce from the new French Republic and his wife. We will be dining at 1 p.m. If you and your houseguest could arrive by noon, it would be greatly appreciated._

_Least you forget, the Queen is expecting you and your guest for a formal court presentation on the following day. Happily Her Royal Highness has chosen to grace you and your companion with private tea following the formal presentation promptly at 3 p.m. Court dress is required. On a private note, there will be other special guests at the tea to discuss recent events and to formulate a plan of action. _

_The Queen is quite impressed with you and your friend's handling of such a very delicate situation. As of the writing of this message, the press has no idea of Louise-Napoleon's involvement in these events. Her Royal Majesty would like to keep it that way, as the name Napoleon has an adverse effect on the public as you well know._

_I would like to take the opportunity to again thank you and Miss Rizzoli for your assistance in this deplorable affair. We can only hope that the intrigue on our soil has ended and that we can force it away from our shores._

_Respectfully yours,_

_Lord John Russell_

_Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland_

The young noblewoman handed the letter to her companion and commented, "You will need to dress accordingly and without your other regalia beneath your garments. If you must have weapons, please place them in the coach and not have them on your person. They could be misconstrued."

The wily Texan agreed, "Alrighty, I'll put on all that trap, but I'll keep my own clothes in the carriage just as a pre-caution. You need to bring three of your own men. Not that I don't trust your Prime Minister, but because I don't trust anybody but Hugh with your safety."

The honey blonde heiress smiled and the felt the dynamic American's protective warmth. So the charismatic teenager answered, "I will have Hugh pick his two best people. Now, let us go to your room and decide on what you should wear. Heaven knows what you would select, if left to your own devices. By the way, did I mention the nineteen inch waist."

Jane snorted, but had to admit that Lady Maura was much more familiar with modern fashion than she was.

***SE***

Lady Maura Isles was dressed in a formal black gown with matching hat, veil and fan. The Lady was still in formal mourning for her father. It would only last a few more days and the year and one day would have passed. It was hard to believe that something so fresh in her mind happened so long ago.

Jane was dress all in white as was appropriate for a young maiden. The height of the sleek American gave her a very regal look in her elegant gown. The tough Indian fighter carried herself like a Grand Duchess and her beauty shown from beneath all the clothing. For the rough and tumble American all of the clothing, especially the corset, seemed too confining for real comfort.

The veteran warrior smiled brightly as she picked up her fan. It had been tailor made for the young Texan by skilled craftsmen in Maura's employee. Jane had watched Maura closely to understand the numerous uses and positions for a fan wielded by an expert. The wily American had found her fan in the attic of the Manor. It was very old and had been purchased with the estate.

The tight corset was something that the uneasy plainswoman wasn't used to. The uncomfortable thing was hindering her breathing. The slim frontier woman didn't have any trouble getting down to the nineteen inch waist. However, Maura had insisted on tightening the dang thing to seventeen inches, saying that the narrower the waist the more the favorable impression she would make. It seemed court etiquette dictated woman be made as uncomfortable as possible.

For their meeting with the Prime Minister, it was just a lot of petticoats and a small train, but the outfit for meeting the Queen was outrageous in the frugal American's eyes. So much waste for one outfit, but the outfit for the Queen was something else. Maura explained it, "Normally an audience with the Queen takes weeks to prepare. First you have to request an audience and then present yourself to the Lord Chamberlain and get your credentials. Finally two days, before the audience you go to the office of the Lord Chamberlain in full regalia and present him with a calling card. He, then, makes suggestions on how to improve your attire.

However, the Queen has requested our presence at a specific time on a specific day. Therefore, it is unnecessary and impossible time wise to go through the normal routine. Everything has to be perfect. We are going to have to work on your curtsy and have you practice retreating from the Queen's presence and we do not have enough time for you to get it right."

The tall Texan replied, "I know how to curtsy, we may not have all these formal balls and such, but we are not barbarians."

The honey blonde noblewoman shook her head in disbelief and replied, "The curtsy you must perform at Court is not an ordinary curtsy. The full court curtsy is one where you must bend your knee until it nearly but not quite touch the floor. Then you have to hold this position for an ample amount of time while making a low bow. Then you must rise again without losing your balance, falling over, or tripping on your gown and its extensive train.

Not only do you have to practice your curtsy, but you will have to practice the glide across the room. I have been training on the glide, since I was four. We will use one of the formal dining room's tablecloths as a simulated train in order to get the approximate feel for sweeping your dress appropriately as you approach the Queen without getting tangled in yards of fabric that is your train."

The tanned brunette laughed, "Seems an awful lot of fuss to make over palavering with somebody. I mean when I talked to President Taylor, I jest walked right up to him and said howdy and shook his hand. Twere none of that curtsying or gliding stuff."

The trained noblewoman responded, "You have to understand that these rules have been followed for centuries and there is a long tradition in them. For instance, attire is vital. The rules are rigidly enforced. A young lady must wear a formal court gown with a train and a tulle headdress with a veil long enough to float over but not beyond the train.

Since you are unmarried, white is the preferred color of your gown, though yellow, beige, really any soft color is acceptable, if it is over a white back drop. The gown must have short sleeves, unless you have an injury or short sleeves might endanger your health, of course you have to have a doctor certify the condition. Additionally all the gowns must be low-cut and show the proper cleavage."

The robust Texas chuckled, "You have no problem in that department as I can testify."

The young heiress blushed as she continued, "The head ware is equally important. You will have your hair done in an intricate weave of braids and curls interwoven with flowers. With that as a base, you have a silk tulle veil, which cascade down your back and along your gown train. If you were married, we could use a tiara to help hold everything in place, but since you are unwed, you must hold the two ostrich feathers in your hair with pins.

The Queen hates small feathers, so we use two long white ostrich feathers in your hair. They will be long and white. Your veil will also be white tulle. As I am still in mourning for my father, I will wear everything I just mentioned, but in black."

Jane asked quietly, "How am I gonna wear all that and curtsy like that? Hell, I can barely walk in all that trap."

Maura hugged her lover and whispered, "Do not concern yourself, I will teach you."

***SE***

The lessons for their presentation to the Queen would have to wait. The morning before the meeting with the Prime Minister at his offices at Number 10 Downing St., were spent with the dress making measuring and fitting both young Ladies for their dresses necessary for the presentation and the tea to follow. Jane fidgeted and stood for the fittings with difficulty. The dark Texan didn't like to be touched and the hands of the seamstress seemed to be a little too familiar for her tastes.

Maura took not of the rubs and accidental contacts of her dressmaker and didn't like it one bit. The young heiress made a mental note to chastise the older woman for her boldness. The intelligent noblewoman had known for several years of the seamstress's tastes in younger women, but this one was off limits to her. Her mother's long term liaison with Gina Deville had attracted many women with like tastes to their household. After all being a lesbian in Victorian England was difficult and dangerous. The Queen was not a tolerant woman when it came to morality as She saw it.

Divorced women were not even allowed at court. So, being a woman who enjoyed the company of other women over those of a husband was totally unacceptable. One of the reasons her mother had employed so many women with her tastes in bed-company was secrecy. Constance kept their secrets as they kept hers, because her sharp mother knew there were no secrets in a household filled with servants.

Maura was equally aware of this fact and knew that her staff knew of her new lover. The lovely noblewoman assumed the servants figured like mother like daughter. Everyone including her mother assumed that one day the energetic Lady would marry for appearances, but Maura knew that would never happen. With present laws as they were, the dynamic noblewoman would have to surrender all her power to a husband. That was never going to happen.

After the numerous fittings and measurements, the dressmaker was left with the charge of making three outfits for each woman; one for the presentation, one for the tea and one for the gala scheduled that evening. Maura had received her invitation for the event that morning. Normally, the socially different Lady of Swansea avoided such events, but with the presentation and the tea, the savvy businesswoman saw no way of avoiding it.

Galas were arduous at best and tedious at most. The dancing with men, who made their suit for courting her made her skin crawl. Fathers with larceny in their hearts would plead their sons cases for just a moment of her lovely company, all the way calculating a way to get their offspring married off to the Isles fortune. The other Ladies would be worse.

The single Ladies envious of all the attention taken from them garnered their wrath and jealousy, though they didn't know how misplaced that envy was. The married women tried to show their superiority of having attracted a husband, while she was still searching. When in reality the lovely and dynamic Lady Isles could care less about getting married and was only searching for a way to leave and spend time with her beautiful Texan. The following day was going to be long and frustrating.

The young couple rode in the closed curtain carriage with their hands firmly together. Jane longed for more contact, but the coach was too public a place for such intimacy. Hugh sat next to his Lady and his best man rode across from them. The driver and the footman were also former soldiers and were there for their Lady's protection rather than their regular duties.

As the ornate carriage approached the number 10 Downing St. and came to a stop, Hugh exited the coach to inspect the area for any threats. The residence of the First Lord of the Treasury was in minor disrepair. Though presented to Sir Robert Walpole, as a residence for the office, which is now held by the Prime Minister, it was seldom used as such. Thus through disuse it had fallen in disrepair. Presently, Lord Russell was using it as Government offices and resided in his own London home.

His other man exited the outer door and stood menacingly in the street scanning for possible threats. As Jane exited the carriage several street children tried to rush the young woman in an attempt to beg for a coin. They were rebuffed by the footman/soldier. The driver held the horses, while searching the area for hostiles. The statuesque Texan examined the scene before nodding her approval of Lady Maura exiting the safety of the coach.

The tender-hearted and wealthy young Lady stepped regally from the carriage with a hand full of copper coins, which she tossed to the desperate children. The rowdy youngsters jostled and fought for each precious coin. As the kind noblewoman passed her giant bodyguard, she whispered, "See to it each of those children get something to eat. I refuse to see a child go hungry."

Hugh bowed, knowing that this was an additional influence of his Lady's new romance. Before the arrival of Jane Rizzoli, the pampered noblewoman, who had always been tender-hearted, had been trained to ignore any suffering around her. After all, even with her wealth, she could feed all of Great Britain. However the dynamic and observant American awoke the honey blonde heiress to the hardship of those around them. It was pushing the great noblewoman to her full potential as a human being.

For that reason Hugh had decided to confide in his Lady his desire to marry. When the young Lady had him freed from prison, she did so by taking responsibility for him, which bound him to her. By law a bound needed permission to marry. The giant bodyguard had doubts his mistress would give him such permission, but would the gentlewoman take his intended into her service.

As Lady Isles's personal bodyguard he was honor and duty bound to be at her side at times, which meant he had quarters near her. His quarters were a five foot by eight foot room off of his Lady's bedroom. It was no place to have a wife. If Lady Maura could take his intended into her service, she would have quarters in the manor, which would allow the dark protector opportunities to be with his wife.

Hugh decided that he must talk with his Lady right after the gala. With all the tension of Jane being presented to the Queen, it was not the right time to talk to the Lady about his personal needs. The big man knew that the independently minded American was in danger of making a fatal error. He had no doubt the young Texan could handle herself in any dangerous situation, other than that of a Royal Court, where the wrong word could have thousands of soldiers after your life.

***SE***

The pair of young women was escorted to the main office of the Prime Minister, while their bodyguards were allowed to wait at the outer door. The room was dominated by a large ornate desk with a large cushion chair behind it. In front of the desk were two well cushion high back chairs, not as plush as the one behind the desk, but of similar design.

At the other side of the room were two smaller desks were two young men were writing feverishly. Seated in the chair behind the desk was Lord Russell, who popped up from his seat when the two elegantly dressed teenagers entered the room. The sharply dressed middle aged man motioned to the two plush seats and said, "Please have a seat, Lady Isles, as well as your companion. Might I add that both of you look beautiful and in the prime of womanhood."

The two young ladies swished to the indicted seats and sat gracefully, though Jane had a bit of a problem with her five starched petticoats. Lady Isles held out her hand for the older gentleman to take and lightly peck with his lips. Jane took note of the action and mimicked it. The gallant nobleman repeated his gesture and said cordially, "It's such a pleasure to entertain two lovely young women. My office is such a dull place normally, but the presence of the two of you has brightened it beyond measure.

And might I say Miss Rizzoli you are a very lovely young woman. You are hardly what I expected. Your reputation as a warrior is in sharp contrast to your beauty as a woman."

The brash American answered frankly, "I might be a looker, bur I can shoot the eye out of a squirrel at 200 yards and run a hundred miles without stopping, Milord. I don't think I'll ever get that milord, milady stuff down proper cause back home most times I'll go all day without saying nary a word. I've probably said more words in the time I've been in England that I've said in five years back home…Milord."

The amused Lord Minister responded, "I think we can be less formal in private. I want to inform you ladies about our questioning of the prisoners. It seems an American is your missing man. They didn't know his name, other than people call him Washing Bowl, why anyone would be called Washing Bowl is beyond me."

Jane shook her head negatively and replied, "It's Kwasinaboo. It means snake and the Comanche only call one man by that name. He accepted the name and kept it to instill fear in those around him. His real name is Charles Hoyt and he is bad news. Hoyt is a notorious renegade, who is hated and feared by everyone in area. He raids farms, ranches and small towns. He russles anything with hair and sells Indian scalps to the Army. Why he would come here, I can only guess? ... Milord, damn I keep forgetting."

Lord Russell nearly laughed as he pressed on, "What is your guess?"

Jane replied quickly, "Guns is the short answer. Hoyt has big plans and I think he's made a deal with Napoleon to supply him with guns to do something. What that something is I don't rightly know… Milord"

The interested Prime Minister asked, "In your opinion what was he doing in England."

The wily Texan thought for a moment before she answered, "I only know him by reputation, he's from the Territories. He was run out of Texas and usually stays out of Texas, excepting for some border raiding on the Mex side mostly. So you was saying before how this Louis-Napoleon wants Mexico. My guess is this Napoleon fellow is using Hoyt to get his troops into Mexico.

Hoyt raids the Mexican border towns and the Mexican Government asks this Napoleon feller for help. Boom you get French soldiers in Mexico because of the raids. Hoyt stops raiding and the French look like heroes. The U.S. can't use the Monroe Doctrine because the foreigner s got asked in, Milord"

Lord Russell digested the information for several minutes before he announced to Lady Isles, "Lady Maura, you were right. This is a remarkable young woman. Her logic is flawless. So we have to find this Hoyt fellow and ask him a few questions."

The tall American shook her head from side to side and responded, "You can't take him alive; he's too dangerous. He was after something here that he couldn't get at home. He could get all the weapons at home. So he wants something else. He tried to snatch Maura; so my guess is she's the key to keeping you blind. As far as I can see, she's your eyes into France, so if they get her, then you're neutralized, Milord."

The Prime Minister jumped up from his desk and stormed to the door. There he commanded, "Captain I want the Lady's manor here and at Swansea guarded! See to it immediately!"

The intimidating Texan smirked evilly. So much so the Prime Minister shivered, as she said, "Not necessary! So long as I'm breathing, she's safe. Use your men to find Hoyt. Leave Lady Maura's safety to me. I'll kill anybody who looks at her too hard."

Lord Russell saw the determination and the willingness in the young woman's eyes and knew he was talking to a very deadly person. Jane Rizzoli was like a Bengal tiger, both beautiful and deadly. Like the tiger, the fearless fighter could stalk prey ten times her size without fear and win, because the tough American won't allow herself to fail. This young teenager sitting across from him in an overstuff chair was probably the most dangerous person he had ever met. So he did the only thing a self-respecting English nobleman could do in such a situation, he asked, " Might I offer you a spot of tea and some cake? My man, Jacob is bringing in a pot shortly. I ordered it the minute I received news of your arrival."

Lady Isles responded, "I would dearly love some tea and a crumb of cake would be wonderful. I missed breakfast this morning and am famished."

Jane shook her head up and down as she replied, "I, too, would relish some tea and cake, if it isn't too much of a bother."

***SE***

The tall American noticed that the two young writers had not missed a beat as they continued to scribble on their pieces of paper. Maura noticed her young lover's attention had been drawn to the young men, so she stated, "Jane, they are scribes. They copy all the necessary documents generated by the Prime Minister. When Lord Russell creates a document, there are copies made to be distributed to those who require the document."

Jane acknowledged her acceptance of the information and inquired, "Lord Russell, may I ask why this place has been allowed to get so run down?"

The Lord flushed a bit, but answered, "Because many of my predecessors had their own residences and saw no need to live in this one. Therefore with no one living in this building, it was allowed to deteriorate. I am hoping to change all that. Though I do not live here, I keep my offices here. As a result, Parliament has agreed to extend some money for the building's upkeep."

At that moment a soldier dress in red livery swiftly entered the room and handed the Prime Minister an envelope. He read it and announced, "Lady Isles, I just received reliable information that Charles Hoyt has fled England and is on his way to the Continent as we speak. From there I expect he will seek passage back to America."

It was Jane who asked, "Can he get arms there to take back to America?"

The Prime Minister replied, "Unfortunately, he can. I wish I could prove it, but it is my opinion he was added out of England by Lord Palmerston, who has a relationship with Louis-Napoleon. He is constantly touted the virtues of the President of France. You father told me that you predicted that Napoleon would seize power by the end of this year. Do you still hold with that prediction?"

The honey blonde noblewoman nodded briskly, "Not only that I have information that he has arranged recognition by your government the moment Napoleon has seized the dictatorship."

The Prime Minister reassured the brilliant noblewoman, "The only one in this government who so favors the President of France is the Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, and doesn't have the power or the votes to do such a thing. Your information might be faulty."

Lady Isles replied, "I do not think so. I have it on good authority that someone in your government is going to officially recognize the coup of Louis-Napoleon as legitimate."

Lord Russell thought about it for a moment then responded, "Then you must send for your source, so we can ascertain if he mightn't know who was going to make this bold move and if that person is going have a legitimate reason for doing so."

The honey blonde teenager answered, "I would if I could, but I sent my agent to Ireland after those missing arms. I also charged him with finding the individuals involved and eliminating the weapons. I felt since the recent troubles in Ireland, that was the most prudent course of action."

The knowledgeable Prime Minister could only nod his agreement as he said, "Lady Isles, you were most insightful. There is little we can do in France, but we cannot allow the hotheads in Ireland to gain another foothold or we will never have a lasting peace."

Jane thought about the conversation for a moment before she said, "I'm not convinced Charlie Hoyt has left England. I think he is here for another reason other than weapons and he won't leave until he gets what he wants."

Maura asked, "Whatever do you think he wants?"

Jane replied, "I wish I knew."

***SE***

When the tea arrived, Jacob asked, "How do you like you tea, Milady?"

The honey blonde teen answered, "Cream and one lump, please."

After the older servant had handed the lovely Lady her tea, he asked her companion, "And you Miss?"

The dark Texan replied, "Cream and three lumps, if you don't mind."

He handed the brash American her tea and then handed his Lordship a cup with lemon and honey. The efficient servant then slice the cake he had brought into eight neat slices and placed three of those slices in delicate saucers. Then, the elder staffer handed each of the ladies and his Lord a slice of cake with a napkin and a fork. After which he asked, "Will that be all Milord?"

The Prime Minister waved the man away as he said, "That will be all Jacob. Would you retrieve Lord Palmerston for me? I must speak with him at once."

After nibbling a bit of cake the aging Lord asked, "Would you be so kind as to await Lord Palmerston's arrival. I think you should give his Lordship your news personally. I would exclude any details as to how you ascertain your information. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the Foreign Secretary is feeding President Napoleon some information.

So the group finished their cake and three cups of tea, before the tray was removed by a housekeeper. The two young clerks rose from their desks and announced, "It is time for our tea sir. We will be back in twenty minutes, Milord."

After the two young men closed the door behind them the Lord Prime Minister announced, "Now that they have gone, I can speak freely. I know Lord Palmerston is passing information to Louis-Napoleon. I also know that the Foreign Secretary is going to try and persuade the Queen to recognize the dictatorship of Louis-Napoleon. I need you to dissuade her from such a course."

Lady Maura sat with her mouth open for a moment before she remembered her manners and inquired, "Do pray tell how I may accomplish such a task?"

Jane interjected, "By telling the truth."

***SE***

The luncheon with the French Trade Ambassador was being held in the freshly renovated main dining room at number 10 Downing St. The table sat twelve to a side and one at each end. The twenty-six chair were arranged neatly with a place setting at each position. Jane asked innocently, "There's gonna be twenty-six people eating lunch … Milord."

The Prime Minister chuckled, "Actually, there are twenty-four guests, as I am the host, the seats at the either end are for the host and hostess. As my wife is at home, I was planning with her permission of course to seat Lady Isles at the hostess place. Miss Rizzoli, you would sit to your Lady's right. The French Ambassador will sit to my right with his legal advisor seated to his right. The other ten members of his party will sit in the other ten seats. I am not privy to their names or their titles. I won't know who they are until he introduces them to me.

On my side will be Lord Palmerston to his right his charming wife the Lady Emily Cowper and her son Earl George Cowper. Then there will be the Home Secretary Sir George Grey and his wife Anna Sophia. Then the Secretary of State for War, Earl Henry Grey and his wife Marie will be seated next to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Francis Baring and his wife, Lady Arabella Georgina, who will be seated next to the Secretary of War Fox Maule and his wife Montague will be seated next to you, Miss Rizzoli."

Lady Maura noticed that all the powers within the Whig cabinet were going to be at a luncheon for a trade ambassador, which could only mean that Lord Russell assume that this ambassador was here for other purposes. Therefore, she was prompted to ask, "Who is this trade ambassador?"

The Prime Minister replied, "Jean Gilbert Victor Fialin, do you know of him?"

Now, the honey blonde Lady understood why this meeting had taken on such importance. Lady Maura nodded politely as she answered, "Yes, an outspoken Bonapartist, who has written heavily on the subject. If he is the ambassador, then this is no trade negotiation. He is one of Louis-Napoleon inner circle. What do you think he is up to?"

Lord Russell responded, "That my dear Lady is what we need to find out. I was hoping you might deduce something from the luncheon conversation as your dealings in France gives you more insight into the players than I have at my disposal. I was hoping that gentlemen might underestimate the perceptiveness of Ladies."

Lady Maura smiled at the guile of the Prime Minister. After the luncheon, when the men and women broke up into groups to have desert, she was to interrogate, politely of course, the ladies of the ambassador's party. However, this idea was burst, when the ambassador's party arrived without a single woman in it.

***SE***

The luncheon conversation was restricted mostly to the weather, the wines of France and English tea. One of the ambassador's party was Charles Avery, a merchant from Bordeaux and a formal associate of Patrick Doyle. He politely inquired about a private meeting later in the week, which the astute Lady accepted.

They would meet in two days at her offices in London. The cunning noblewoman thought it might be a good opportunity to ascertain the intentions of this trading party. The honey blonde heiress turned to her friend and lover and whispered, "I want you there."

Jane replied, "I don't plan on leaving your side for a minute while I'm here."

There it was, rearing its ugly head again. The fact that one day in the future, Jane would have leave her to go home. The very thought of the day left her body rigid with cold. What would the young noblewoman do when her lover left for America. Lady Maura shook her head slightly in an effort to purge the thought, so she could return to the conversation at hand.

The luncheon failed to answer any of their questions. Doyle was in Ireland; otherwise the Lady would have him trying to find out what was happening. When the group broke up into men and women for desert, Lady Maura sighed her resignation to a boring evening. Her only hope was the Prime Minister might discover something from the men's conversation.

***SE***

The Ladies sat in a freshly renovated parlor sipping tea and eating cake. Jane was beside herself in boredom. The wild Texan was totally out her environment. The young woman had no idea of what to say or do with these other four women.

Mostly, the older women talked about their children and grandchildren, until Lady Cowper asked the dark American quietly, "How long have you and the Lady Isles been lovers, Child?"

Both young women were taken aback, Maura flushed with embarrassment, but Jane answered with her typical directness, "Since I came here. I guess I've been in love with her since we met in Washington, but I didn't know it until I was coming here from American. I heard her paw had died and knew I had to come and comfort her. I didn't understand it until I had time on the trip across the Atlantic to think about it. How did you know?"

The other Ladies laughed as Lady Grey answered for all of them, "Child, you have it written all over you for any woman to see. The way the two of you look at each other. Especially, the way you move protectively around the Lady Isles, like you are ready to attack anyone out to hurt her. You move when she moves. You constantly place your body between her and anyone entering the room. I have never seen anything like it."

Lady Anna said, "You will have to be more careful around the Queen. She is quite perceptive in her own way and would not approve of such a liaison, though there are many in her court with such tastes. The Queen would ban you from court and would probably demand the Lady Isles be married to some suitable young man at the earliest convenience."

The Lady Isles countered, "I would go in exile first. I will never marry. Should I marry, all my property and my title would go to my husband. I have no intention of surrendering my authority or my property. Therefore, I may _entertain_ marriage, one will never happen."

The Lady Grey, who was known to be a very astute politician in her own right, replied, "I applaud your intentions, but you never can tell about the future. You may fall in love with some dashing young man, who will change your opinions."

The very thought of Maura marrying filled the emotional Texan with rage and jealousy, while the thought of bedding a man sent shivers up the young teen's spine. Lady Grey noticed the reaction and said, "Men are not all that bad, Child. All I am saying is that you cannot tell what will happen in the future, because it hasn't happened yet. Therefore you cannot assume you will never marry, because you cannot see that far into what is coming."

Montague Maule moved to the tall American and took her hand and looked deeply into her chocolate eyes and announced, "This one is totally in love and will never stray from it. She is one of deep purpose and conviction. I doubt if the good Lord Himself could dissuade this young woman from anything she ever wanted to do."

Giving Jane a look of pure sympathy, the older woman said, "Miss Rizzoli, you are young and beautiful, but there is no future in your relationship. The Lady Isles is part of a very old and staunch society that brooks no individualism. I wish it were not true, but we live in an age of intolerance for individualism. I can only see pain in your future, if this liaison continues."

Jane looked back frankly and replied, "I love her. I will have no other in my life and if pain is the reward for that love, then I will accept it with open arms. I have had nothing but pain my whole life. Either I give it or I receive it. Maura had been the only comfort I have had in my life and I will not give that up for any reason whatsoever."

Maura rushed to her lover and pulled her into her arms. The young noblewoman hugged her tightly and then kissed her passionately, before releasing her and facing the other woman and saying, "We appreciate your advice, but our hearts have made our decision simple. Do you choose love or do you choose convenience? For my part, I chose love. There is so little of it out there. I am already different in that I choose to keep my title and my independence from any husband. So why should I not choose to love whomever I wish to love."

Lady Grey moved forward and took the young Lady's hands and smiled, "I wish you all the luck and happiness in the world. You have chosen a difficult and lonely life, but you have done it freely and with forethought. I can speak for everyone here and promise your secret is safe with us. We will not betray your confidences. Now, tell us of what is transpiring. We have only heard part of the story.

So, Lady Maura and Jane spent the next two hours telling the four wives about their adventures and their results, as well as speculating on what it all meant. Finally, Jane told them, "I ain't never told nobody this story. I was about four or five years and I had wondered off trapping rabbits, squirrels and such for pelts to trade. There was this bowie knife I wanted, but the peddler wanted a dear price fer it.

Well, I never let anythin stop me from wat I wonted so I up and set to trapping. I came across the tracks of a limping deer that musta busted up a leg. I saw an opportunity to get a big pelt and maybe some other things. So I tracked it best I could. I was no top hand in those days at tracking, but I managed to run it down.

A pack of coyotes had cornered it and it was making a stand the best it could. So I up takes out my slingshot, my pa didn't let me touch a rifle until I were six and start shooting stones at them coyotes. I caught rait in the head and he fell like he war the stone.

Anyway, the others were taking bad hits along their ribs and hindquarters. I hurt one so bad I think I broke his leg. Those coyotes didn't wont to leave without that meat, but two of their pack war already hurt bad, so they loped off looking for easier prey. They war gonna find it too and that wounded coyote knowed it. The pack couldn't have no weaklings, so they war gonna turn on him and he was gonna be on menu that night.

Anyhow, I used another stone to conk out the deer that war doin' poorly anywho. I walks over and club the unconscious coyote and deer with a handy branch and make a far. You see you don't want to bash their heads too hard cause you lose the brains."

The Lady Grey tentatively interrupted the story, not really wanting to spoil the spell that had fallen over the group, but she was curious, "Why do you want the brains and why do you build fires before you skin the animals?"

The brash American answered with a smile and lectured, Brains are used for two things; eating and softening hides, since I was looking for trading hides I was gonna use the brains for that and a couple a fars around the kills keeps the scavengers away

Now, I ain't ever skinned nutten so big afore, but I knew the basics. I took a clay pot with a lid and cut the deer's throat and let the blood run into the pot. Wall, I were sealing the pot with bee's wax. Seven Comanche ride up and start watchin'. Me I don't know no better than to be scared, so I keep adoin'.

One of them Comanche walks over and asks if I speak French. Now back then I only spoke French, Italian, English and a little Spanish. So I tells him I speak French. So…"

This time Maura interrupted, "Tell them what languages you speak now."

The tall Texan shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I speak French, Italian, English, Spanish, Comanche, Kiowa, Cherokee, Apache and some Arapaho, German and Latin.

Maura chuckled at the looks of amazement at this obviously very knowledgeable and skilled woman, as the normally quiet teenager continued her tale, "So I start dressing out the deer. I was new at it and the old Indian noticed and asked iffin he could show me a better way. I tell okay and starts giving a lesson skinning deer, so as to save the guts and stuff of the deer. With the coyote, I took only take the skin, the teeth and the pelvis bones. I give the Comanche the coyote meat and two nice cuts of the venison for helpin'."

Again, Lady Grey had a question, "Why the pelvic bones and not the rest of it like the deer?"

Jane chuckled like the answer was very obvious, "Wall for one thing I don't like coyote meat, too gamey. As fer the rest, the Indians did help me so they should get something. As it were I had over two pounds of meat and stuff to carry. As fer the pelvic bones, they make good trail plates for eating. I could use them in trading with the Indians for other thins."

Lady Anna couldn't contain her questions any longer, "Why did you keep the deer's blood and why do you keep the hooves and bones?"

The experience hunter couldn't believe the ignorance in the room as she shook her head from side to side and answered, "We use deer's blood to make boudin, it's a Cajun dish made from peppers, rice and blood stuffed in deer intestines. Some call it blood sausage. The hooves, we boil down to make glue and such. The marrow is taken from the bones to thicken soup and then the hollowed bone burn extry hot for the forge when making steel and iron thins."

The women couldn't believe how every little thing was used until it didn't exist anymore. They were awed with the story as the tough Texan continued, "Like I said the pack were over two hundred pounds and I warnt more than forty pounds. So I walked over to a nice stand of scrub trees and cut two long poles and five or six strong pieces of wood. Then I use some leather lashins from my pack to make a travois. A travois kinda looks like a ladder. It's used to transport thins. So loaded everythin on that travois and lash it down with the rest of my spare lashins and start pulling the travois out of thar.

The old Injun said good-bye and called me Little Hunter and told me his name was Red Blanket. That old man became like a second father to me. Anyway the name kinda stuck and most of the local Injuns call me that."

Montague asked shyly, "Why didn't the savages help you?"

Jane frowned, clearly displeased, as she responded, "They ain't savages. They've saved my life and I theirs. So please don't call them 'savages'. As to why Red Blanket didn't offer to help take me home, cause it'd damage my pride. I war a youngen then and would've taken the offer wrong and he knew it. Mustang Korsak told me later that he found tracks that told him that two of the Injuns trailed me until he found me and took me home.

Now, let me tell ya. My paw was none too happy to see me free and goin' about on my own. He scolded me for not tellin' anybody war I were agoin'. He inspected my ketch and nodded his approval and walked away. My maw ran to me and hugged me until I lost my breath. Then she followed paw and let me to unpacking and hanging the meat in the smoke house. I dressed and tanned the hides and put the guts and stuff in the ice house before I cleaned up for dinner."

Lady Anne exclaimed, "Why were your parents so lenient you could have been killed?"

The veteran warrior and Indian fighter said calmly, "Warnt no need. I learned wat I needed to learn and y'all kin get kilt use staying at home in your rockin' chair. My paw war proud of me and my maw knowed I'd done wat war needed to be done. It war then my folks figgered I'd growed some. Ya see, y'all either kill or be kill in the frontier."

Lady Grey, who noticed that her folksy English was mixed with very good grammar, finally commented, "Miss Rizzoli, I have never heard of such exploits from a woman, especially one so young and lovely. It must be a hard country that raises young women to fight like you do."

Jane smirked, "Ma'am, I don't know about that, but I can tell you that it is a hard country, but it is a beautiful land that lets you be all you can be and more. I don't have to worry about a husband taking my property. I only have to worry about some Comanche trying to take my hair. It is much more straightforward…Milady."

***SE***

After leaving the very disappointing luncheon the pair of young women left Number 10 Downing St. and entered their waiting carriage. Lady Maura said, "You did so well, I am very proud of you."

Jane felt a jolt of pain as the sensitive Texan thought, 'Hadn't she given her young lover every reason to trust her? Had she given the honey blonde noble any reason not to think she was an uncivilized yahoo looking to scalp every English person she encountered? Was she going to pull down on the Prime Minister or whip out her toothpick and slice the Lady's chamber party?'

Though the barely tolerated American would make an exception for Montague, who intolerance and jealousy over her lack of a title in a room of titles was obvious and needed to be taken down a few notches, the veteran fighter had been well versed in manners by her parents and could hold her temper when the situation was called for. All the young lover could fret about was what her beautiful beaux thought of her.

Lady Isles could see that her Jane was upset and that caused a wave of terror to cascade through the young noblewoman as she asked dreading the answer, "What did I say? I did not mean to upset you. Darling, I do not like seeing you so pained."

Jane responded in her normally honest manner, "Do you see me as a wild untamed animal. You said you were proud I did well like I was a dog that just held point or something. Is that what I am to you, a pet to be praised and fed a biscuit for doing a trick or making your friends smile over its antics?"

The honey blonde thirteen year old pleaded, "Please forgive me. I did not mean anything derogatory. Did you not hear what I told those matrons of propriety? I meant every word, every syllable. I will renounce my title and go to America and live in a mud hut, it you are there with me. I am inexperienced in these matters and sometimes I make an error."

The tender teenager looked into her young lover's eyes and saw the sincere tears in them and rushed to comfort her. While pulling the smaller woman into her arms, she whispered, "I can make adobe and thatch a roof."

***SE***

The pair of young lovers arrived at the Manor only to go right to work. Lady Maura ordered a meal that could be eaten as they worked. Jane had to learn court etiquette in only a hours, what it took young noblewoman a lifetime to learn.

Normally a young woman being presented at court would take at least two weeks to prepare, the brash rough frontierswoman had six hours before they would be forced to retire for the evening. After all, one could hardly have an audience with the Queen with dark circles and bags under their eyes, now could one.

For six hours, the worked on the curtsy of the agile American, which by tradition was almost to the floor and arise again without looking like a lioness readying herself to pounce. The lifelong hunter's walk and gait was that of a predator, which was apparent in every single movement. The best they could do was disguise it; the wild Texan's movements were too engrained in her psyche.

On balance, the skilled huntress's movements were honed so the silent killer could track her prey through virgin forest without making a sound or leaving any trace she was there. One could never be too careful in the wilds of West Texas.

They practiced Jane's speech very carefully and worked into the night on proper court etiquette and vernacular. The couple munched briefly on cool fruit, sharp cheese and fresh bread, while drinking pot after pot of East Indian tea. It was half past ten when the exhausted couple could practice no more. Therefore they retired for the night.

***SE***

On their way to Buckingham Palace, Lady Isles said evenly, "Jane, you need to be more respectful to the Queen. Lord Russell was very tolerant, but you really need to say Your Highness and Your Majesty to the Queen as we practiced. Her Majesty is not nearly as tolerant."

Jane was exasperated. The tough Texan loved this young noblewoman more than life itself, but the honey blonde treated the older teenager like she was two and hadn't left the suckle. As to cause an argument before their important presentation, the wily American said sarcastically, "I'll do my best."

As the carriage rolled down the street, Lady Maura continued to give unwanted instructions, "I do not think you understand. Her Majesty is very conscious of her title and will not tolerate you being too familiar. Additionally, you are going to have to relinquish all your weapons. No one is allowed a weapon in her presence."

The frustrated American grabbed her young lover's hands and replied, "I understand, Milady. I will curtsy and fawn all over the woman, but you have to understand two things. One: If I were stripped naked and tied to a chair, I would still not be unarmed. Secondly, I only worship one woman in this life and I'm holding HER hands."

Lady Maura Isles, Baroness of Swansea and wealthy beyond avarice, was taken aback by the simple statement of love and could only say, "I love you. Please be careful. I am concern with your safety."

The dark teenager blushed and squeezed the lovely noblewoman's hands tighter as she said, "I'll be careful as long as Her Majesty is polite."

***SE***

The dazzling pair was announced by the Master of Ceremonies, "The Lady Maura Isles, Baroness of Swansea and her companion, Miss Jane Clementine Rizzoli of West Texas, United States of America."

Jane rolled her eyes. The West Texan hated her middle name. It was a concession from her mother to her father, because Big Frank Rizzoli wanted an American daughter and Clementine was a truly American name. Jane only knew she hated the name.

With well rehearsed steps the couple glided toward the Throne of St. James. Queen Victoria sat regally on Her Throne with a well practiced arrogance. Seated next to her was her husband, Prince Albert, who was a handsome man though slightly balding. The bright older man was the main advisor to Her Royal Highness and a reformer and innovator.

At the moment his main interest, other than his family, was as President of the Royal Commission for the Great Exposition of 1851. The Exposition had opened on May Day at the Crystal Palace and was one of things the Lady Maura planned on showing her girlfriend.

The Royal Pair sat regally while awaiting the petitioner's curtsey. Both young women executed their bows perfectly. The two women easily eclipsed the other ladies in the Throne room with their natural beauty and obvious charm. The pair were perfectly contrasting with Lady Isles wearing traditional mourning black in memory of her father and Jane wearing the traditional white of an unmarried maiden. As far as the dark Texan was concerned she would always qualify for wearing the color.

The honey blonde noblewoman wore a black velvet gown, cut lower than was normally seen and at thirteen the young teenager was already a well developed woman. Her train was fifteen feet of Chinese silk, black as night with a veil of black English netting. Her honey blonde hair was braided and interwoven with two dark stained ostrich feathers. Her slippers were black leather studded with black opals and sapphires.

Jane's dress was white satin overlaid with her fifteen foot train of silk. Her white veil of silk tulle lay gently over the train bordered by white lace. Her hair was woven in an identical pattern to her counterpart, but with two white ostrich feathers Her dark raven hair with compared favorably with her friend's honey blonde teasels. The wily Texan also carried her antique fan. Though Maura was curious as to why her dear friend had become so attached to the fan, she was too concerned about the present to think of anything else. The younger teenage promised herself, she would pursue the matter when time permitted.

Her Royal Highness nodded her permission for the two petitioners to arise, which the couple did precisely, as Her Majesty stated, "Ladies you have brightened a dull court. We are delighted to finally meet you, Miss Rizzoli. You are a beautiful young woman. It is our understanding that you are some kind of woman warrior where you reside.

It is our opinion a woman of your beauty and charm is wasted on such manly things. Would not live serve you better if you were to find a suitable husband? We are convinced many single men in this Court and for that matter many married men would be interested in some arrangement."

Jane was tempted to tell 'Her Majesty' she was not interested in some man. The competent Texan was more than able to handle her finances and protect herself. However, the frustrated American had made many promises to her young lover and was determined to keep to her script, "Your Most Royal Majesty, it is my honor to have meet such an esteemed body. I am in awe of this palace and your Royal Presence. We have nothing in America, to rival….."

Jane stopped her speech and Maura froze in horror. Here it was, Jane was going to get herself beheaded or deported or both. The honest Texan had had enough, she was going to speak her mind and be honest to herself and principals. So the tall American squared her shoulders and said, "Your Highness, I had this speech all prepared and I know that Maura is terrified I am going to say something that is going to get you angry, which is going to get me in trouble, but I have to be true to myself and DAMN the consequences.

Your Majesty, where I come from you either do what's necessary or you die. I'm really a simple girl. I do what I have to do to survive and I'm good at it. I can hunt just about anything with hair. I can track and trap. I can skin an animal and not waste a drop of blood. I can fight off an Injun attack and I can shoot the eye out of squirrel at 500 yards. In the plains, I can do jest about anything, but here I'm a babe in the woods.

I don't know how I'm supposed to act. I got no idea what to say or do that ain't gonna make you hate me or want to cut my head off. All I do know is how to be honest. If that gets me in trouble then so be it …ahhh … Your Royalness."

After speaking her mind, the court fell silent as every held their breath in anticipation of Queen's temper. After a moment, Prince Albert rose to his feet and inched his way down to the nervous American. The dashing Prince took the young Texan hand and kissed it, as he said, "Never fear speaking the truth is always welcome here. We hear so infrequently."

Maura released the breath she had been holding without realizing it. The Queen signaled the Master of Ceremony, who said, "That is the end of petitions for this day. The Queen and her husband are retiring to chambers. Thank you for your attendance,"

***SE***

After the Royal couple had left the throne room, the Prime Minister walked over to the two confused teenagers and said, "You need to change into something more comfortable. Temporary quarters have been arranged for you in the Palace. Your things will be awaiting you there. You must hurry. Her Majesty hates to be kept waiting. You have fifteen minutes to change into something less formal, but remember though this is a private audience with the Queen she is still the Queen and is quite aware of her station."

Maura had come prepared for this and knew that everything they needed was in their large steamer. Servants led the couple through several corridors to the temporary quarters. Along the way, a man dressed as a butler jumped out from concealment with a knife.

He slashed at the group and cut a long gash along the forearm of the younger maid, who had been leading the way. The second servant dove to the floor to avoid any further knife blows. Jane pulled Maura behind her and grabbed her fan.

The knifeman turned to attack and dove for the pair. Jane thumbed a latch on her fan and pulled, revealing a long thin blade. The stunned attacker was shocked and hesitated. It was all the room the dark Italian needed. The agile brunette plunged her long thin knife into the man's throat. Still wary and looking for another attack, the tall Italian pushed Maura backwards, while keeping her body between the bleeding man and her young love.

The man gurgled out his final breathe as the unwounded servant regained her wits and rushed to get help. Maura looked at the thin blade and smiled, as she said, "Now I know what is so special about that fan. Leave it to you to find a way to smuggle a weapon into Buckingham Palace."

***SE***

When the guards arrived at the scene of the battle, they found Lady Maura tearing bandages from her petticoat, while Jane was cleaning and treating the forearm of the wounded servant. Spatter blood had ruined the young women's gowns, much to Jane's disappointment. The thrifty Texan had had wanted to keep her gown in case she needed it on another occasion. The guard blustered, "Milady, will you not explain to me what just occurred?"

Maura explained what had happened, while Jane cleaned the wound with hot water she had commandeered from a passing maid, who had been forced to go back to the kitchen for more hot water for her Lady, and scraps of petticoat. The Royal Guardsman tried to take the fan from the tough Texan, but was rebuffed by the wary American. Lady Isles intervened and reminded the young man that had her companion not had the fan, they would have died at the hands of the assassin.

The stiff guardsman was forced to admit to the validity of the statement, but admonished the Lady that the weapon could not be in Her Majesty's presence ever again. Maura agreed, confident Jane would find another way to smuggle in a weapon. When the guard was satisfied, he left with the wounded woman and instructions for the two young women to be escorted to their room by the remaining servant.

When the pair arrived at the room and the door was closed Maura asked, "Who do you think ordered that attempt: the French or the Irish?"

Jane had her suspicions, but no proof, so she answered simply, "I wish I knew."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Notes: Several people have asked, "Who is the mastermind behind it all?" I thought I was being too obvious. Clues: Someone killed her grandfather. Her grandfather had only one child. Question: Who inherits his estate?**

Chapter 13: A Break in the Storm

The two young women changed into the slightly less formal evening gowns for their more private audience with the Queen. Private or semi-private audiences had rules as did the public receptions. The attire for such audiences did not require the long formal train or veil, but an ample bustle was paramount. In addition the proper young lady needed to have at least six petticoats so as to have the proper flair as to how her dress hung from her.

As in all things a narrow waist was necessary; the standard was nineteen inches or less. In preparation the proper young woman tightened her corset accordingly. The proper young woman's hair was less intricate, but only slightly so. The proper number and length of feathers was absolutely vital. Queen Victoria hated short or narrow feathers and had once banned a Baroness from court for wearing common pheasant feathers.

So, it was totally understandable that the couple's quick change took almost an hour. Neither young woman had any problem with the nineteen inches. Maura doubted that Jane had an ounce of fat on her body since birth. Would nature or God dare to even attempt such a luxury on the economical Texan?

When the two young women left the assigned quarters they were greeted by the Prime Minister and six Royal Guards. Lord Russell smiled genuinely and bowed an apology, "I heard about the incident in the corridors and bear the Queen's abject apologies. Her Highness is beside herself in anger that someone should violate her home and abuse one of her guests.

Had not Miss Rizzoli acted with such promptness, Heaven knows what would have transpired. Though it is hardly proper for a weapon to be brought in the presence of the Queen, it is equally proper that one be able to protect one's person. Therefore, the Queen herself has forgiven the minor transgression and has given Miss Rizzoli permission to keep her fan and hold it against future need."

Jane smirked. What they thought about her didn't faze her one way or another. The forthright Texan did what she thought was right and necessary and let the consequences sort it out. However, Maura had been fraught with anxiety over the incident. The honey blonde noblewoman had feared terrible retribution over having such a weapon in the Queen's presence. But as in all things, _it is easier to gain forgiveness than to get permission_. It was one of her father's favorite sayings and had proven itself wise once again.

The Lady Isles presented her hand and the Lord took it an placed his lips gently upon it as the smiling young teenager replied, "Thank you, Milord. I am relieved that the incident is behind us. How is the servant and has the attacker been identified?"

The Lord turned to Jane in anticipation to being presented her hand, which after a glance to Maura; she extended for it to be properly kissed. At which time, the Great Lord responded, "The servant will recover. Alas, the attacker gained access through the offices of Lord Palmerton. His party as you can understand is quite large and equally unquestionable.

The Lord assures us that he did not recognize the man, but one of his guards did confirm that the man had been one of the Lord's attendants. However, it seems the man slipped away from the party soon after it arrived at the Palace. We now know that the man attacked one of the Queen's servants and exchanged attire with the man. Then, he proceeded to use his disguise to gain knowledge of your quarter assignment. From that information, he laid out an attack strategy and waited for your appearance.

However, the man failed to account for the resourcefulness of our American friend or her ability to counteract his plan. I wish I could have seen the shock on the man's face when a proper young woman whips out a blade and banishes it with such skill."

Jane smiled her patented Rizzoli smile and beamed, "The knife made it easy. I could taken his weapon and used it before he realized it was gone. That man wouldn't have lasted two minutes in Injun territory. I really don't need weapons for his like. Like I just told Maura, you could strip me naked and tie my hands behind my back and I still could have taken that yokel… Milord."

The proper nobleman was becoming increasing amuse and impressed by the self sufficient young American. Her valiant, yet obviously forced, attempts at keeping protocol were endearing. It was equally obvious that the independent young Texan wasn't comfortable with acknowledging authority in any form.

The young woman was the queen of her domain and was distressed to acknowledge another as her superior and rightfully so none were her superior in her world. Therefore, it was more like a meeting of piers than a nobleman meeting a commoner, for in her world Jane Rizzoli was a veteran of many challenges to her rule and the tough brunette had survived and prospered from each encounter. The wise leader saw that in the young woman and admired it.

As a result, the intelligent diplomat took no offense to the young woman's frankness or her discomfort with giving the Lord his proper acquiescence. After all, the accomplished politician had never proven himself to her in a way that earned that acquiescence. One had to remember in her world, respect was earned not given and the powerful Lord had done nothing to earn hers.

***SE***

Miles away in Ireland, a proud father, who knew nothing of the dangers to his daughter was sitting at a table sipping a porter. Patrick Doyle was waiting one of his informants in Ireland. Sullivan O'Donald was a smuggler, who had worked for the Isles shipping manager on numerous occasions. Additionally, the tough Irishman was one of the best bare knuckles fighters the old smuggler had ever seen in the ring. The man stood only five feet three inches tall, but he weighed all of two hundred pounds and not an ounce of it was fat.

The man dominated the room as he walked in. Every man here knew of Sullivan O'Donald and almost all of them feared him. The muscular man walked over to Doyle's table and sat down. The strong smuggler asked, "What do you want, Doyle?"

The man charged with preventing the misuse of Isles's ships replied, "A series of illegal arms shipments has used Isles's ships to smuggle French made weapons into Ireland. I've come to locate and recover the weapons or barring that, destroy them.

I need you to find out where they are stashed and to assemble a team of our type of guys in order to gain possession of these weapons. I'd like one or two of the men guarding these weapons to be captured for questioning."

The dark man smirked highlighting many of the scars on his face, all of which he had won in fights both in and out of the ring. The younger smuggler stated, "Give me two hours. I'll meet you here in two hours with what information I will be able to confirm. As to manpower, just pick any man in this room. Not a quitter in the lot."

Doyle nodded his acceptance of the terms and true Irish fashioned; he ordered a round of drinks to seal the bargain and smiled, "Two hours… This will be my base while I'm here. I have a room upstairs and I love the porter. You can't get good porter in England."

The rough and tumble fighter acknowledge the truthfulness of the statement with a simple tilt of his glass before downing its contents. As the broad man left, Patrick Doyle for the hundredth time wondered what was going on other than the obvious.

***SE***

The two young women escorted by six Royal Guards and the Prime Minister of England made their way to the private areas of the Palace. The two lovely teenagers were shepherded into the drawing room adjacent to the Queen's chambers. This the young ladies were told was a change in plans as the Queen and her husband wished to apology in person for the incident that occurred in their home. As well as determine if the they had a sense of whom was behind these incidents and why, because it was obvious that everything was connected. However, the connection seemed to eluding everyone.

Jane had the advantage of more information than everyone else and was getting a sense of what was actually going on. The intelligent brunette knew people killed other people for one four things: Passion, greed, revenge or power. The facts were:

1. Someone had killed the prisoners rather than free them. So whoever did this wanted the men dead not returned to France.

2. The initial attempts on Maura were to kidnapped. However the recent attempts, the ones after the death of the prisoners, were to kill her.

3. One of the prisoners was Maura's maternal grandfather.

4. The luncheon with the French trade delegation yielded no information. Why hadn't the delegation at least hinted at what they wanted? It only made commonsense to give your host some idea of why you had sent a delegation in the first place.

Finally, Jane saw the picture instead of the dots. Originally before they had captured Martine, it was about getting an upper hand in the trade negotiations. Maura owned the main trading company between France and England. Martine had obviously convinced the French government he could get them favorable terms and he had obviously done that by revealing his relationship with Lady Isles.

Either for personal or business reasons, probably a little of both, he had attempted to kidnap his daughter. However, all his attempts in doing so failed. Then to make matters worse, Martine was taken and tortured and their smuggling operation was exposed.

So, someone who had something to gain saw an opportunity and killed Martine. He killed the others to make it look like it was still about the guns and insurrection in Ireland when Martine was the target all along. So, why target the old man? The only answer that made sense was money. Someone stood to inherit the old man's money.

However, there was still one obstacle in the way of that happening; the old man's only living relative, Maura. So, the focus shifted from kidnapping the girl to killing her. So it had to be someone with influence, because that person had managed to deflect the trade delegation. Without the leverage of Marine, the delegation had nothing on their side.

Additionally, if they were somehow connected to the murder of one of peerage, then there could possibly be war with England. At the moment, Jane was sure that Louis Napoleon didn't want that to occur. So the delegation shuts down and will probably make some ridiculous offer of trade to save face. The offer will be refused out of hand and the delegation will retreat home, probably leaving a few assassins behind to insure the short life expectancy of Lady Maura Isles.

Now, Jane had to make some decisions. One, did the sharp American tell them what was going on? If the wily Texan told them what was really happening, then she would have to break her word and tell them who Maura's real father was and Maura didn't know yet.

Two, does the veteran warrior track down whomever is behind this and kill them before they hurt her girlfriend? There was one thing that was definite. The intelligent young woman had to find out who stood to inherit the Martine estate. Finally the answer came to the dark fighter, the honest frontiersperson only knew one way to do things and that was to be honest. Jane was going to outline it all, but she was going to tell Maura fist.

***SE***

Paddy Doyle had bought three rounds for the house while he had hand-picked the six men he was going to need for this operation. None of the men knew why they were being hired, only that they would be paid in silver, not bank notes or promises.

For the past hour, the shanty Irishman was playing darts and drinking porters. By the time Sullivan came back, no one was playing Paddy in darts, he was too good. Doyle had also stopped drinking. He had had enough to drink. The tough smuggler was going to need a clear head and quick reflexes.

The operation had to be tonight, because when word got out why he was here the weapons would disappear into the landscape. So Doyle had selected his men and bought enough drinks for everyone else to keep them in the pub and not walking around talking about him in the streets.

Sullivan O'Donald filled the door as he entered the pub. The tough fighter noticed that Doyle had pulled two tables together and had six other men talking to him. The veteran warrior approved of the older smuggler's choices. The savvy leader also noticed that most of the other men who had been in the pub were in various stages of sobriety. The well muscled man smirked his approval and made his way to the two pulled together tables. The large man smile was enough to bury most men and his scarred face did little to remedy the problem. The dark boxer said, "We have to move quickly. The stuff is being moved after dark and nobody is saying where. So if we want it; we're gonna haveta take it before it gets moved."

***SE***

Lady Isles was doing some thinking of her own and the conclusions she was reaching didn't make any sense. The more the honey blonde noblewoman thought about it the more it defied commonsense. Why had the trade delegation come without an agenda? In her experience you don't even send a delegation unless you have at least an idea of what you want to get out of it.

Additionally you always drop hints to your negotiation partner as to why you wanted to meet in the first place and a function like that luncheon would have been the perfect place to explore how their agenda was going to be received. Yet, they said or did nothing. No one took anyone else to the side to neither feel them out nor make any arrangements for a more private meeting with anyone. It just did not make sense.

The only thing that made any sense was they had a scheme and then something caused them to modify that scheme. So, the honey blonde genius started analyzing what had changed at that time. Then it came to her, the death of Martine was the only thing that held any significance. Therefore, the old man must have been critical to their schema. His death made that scheme moot.

So, the clever noblewoman started evaluating what the initial agenda could possibly have been. The bright young woman remembered the attempts to kidnap her. The logical conclusion was they had intended on using her as leverage to get a better deal from Isles Shipping. But how could Martine's death have changed that move. Surely if they could gain control of her person; they would still have leverage.

Now, they were trying to kill her instead of kidnapping her. How could killing her or Jane possibly give them any leverage? Some piece of the puzzle was missing. Lady Maura knew she was missing something.

***SE***

Patrick Doyle and his seven men surrounded the small thatched cottage where Sullivan had told him presently housed the smuggled firearms. The plan was simple. Paddy would sneak up to the cottage and climb onto the roof. The tough old smuggler would stuff an oily cloth into the chimney to build up smoke in the cabin area. The smoke would force the men out of the hut into the waiting arms of his men.

With as much stealth as the older man could muster he circled around the small house and angled his way toward it. When the big man reached the house he found a stack of fresh cut lumber for the fireplace. It made a fine stairway to the roof.

Not wanting to give alarm by stepping on the roof, the dark Irish reached out and placed the rags into the chimney. Luck had been with him so far so he decided not to push it. Slowly the shanty Irishman backed slowly into the brush.

Smoke began to leak out of the shutters and under the door. Suddenly several men burst out of the lodge with their guns in their hands. The first man tried to lift his gun but was shot from three different angles. The other four men dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

Quickly before reinforcements or legal officials came, Paddy's men gathered up all the arms and the four men guarding them and headed toward another rented cottage. Sullivan had set up a safe house there because he knew Doyle was going to want answers and they needed a quiet place to get those answers.

***SE***

The captives were local idealists who were playing rebels, when they nothing more than some kids playing at rebellion. As a result they took little persuading to give up everything they knew and what they knew didn't amount to much. However one name popped out and it explained everything… Henri Martine.

Henri Martine was the youngest of the five Martine brothers. The man was a known gambler, pimp and thief. His older brother had cut ties with the evil man long ago.

Henri Martine had always been a disappointment to their father. When the gambler was a youth, he was often found capturing and torturing small animals. As a teenager, the wicked brother raped and tortured young women. The young nobleman was found out and was forced to flee his father's justice.

Having to live by his wits, the teenager turned to stealing to survive. Eventually he learned the art of gambling and the twisted young man was good at it.

For years, the former nobleman lived under an assumed name and gambled and stole his way across Europe. It was when his father was dying of yellow fever that he received word to return to his birthplace. His father had wanted to reconcile their differences before he died. The fifth son didn't make it home in time.

However, his father in an effort to make amends left him a small inheritance and made his oldest son promise to let his younger brother come home. The old man didn't know he was giving all his other sons a death sentence.

One by one over the years each of his brothers and their wives, sons and daughters met unnatural deaths. Soon Jacque became suspicious of his youngest brother and forced him once again to flee for his life. Baron Martine sent assassin after assassin to hunt down his evil brother and kill him. They all failed.

The youngest Martine brother laughed when he found his older brother helpless in that small prison room. It was the greatest of ironies that the youngest brother got to do what his older brother had failed to do. The evil man got to kill his lone remaining brother.

However, the villain made one mistake. He had assumed that he was the last remaining heir to the Martine barony. He was wrong. Martine had a granddaughter he knew nothing about. Now, the violent wicked man was trying to right that wrong. He had to kill Maura Isles before she found out about her inheritance.

***SE***

Being a greedy and wicked man left the would-be Baron at a disadvantage. The twisted soul being a gasping wonton man assumed everyone else was as gasping and wonton. It never occurred to the evil brother that Lady Isles, being hundreds of times as wealthy as the Martines, could care less about the fortune for which he was murdering dozens of people. The French title was one for which she would decline as she was more than happy being an English noblewoman. As a result Maura Isles was sitting and drinking tea with the Queen and her husband, totally ignorant of what was going through his evil mind.

Jane on the other hand was quite familiar with Henri Martines of the world. On more than one occasion the veteran warrior had been forced to kill one of these creatures. For that is how the independent Texan saw his kind. The tall brunette recognized the type and knew how to deal with that type.

The wild American had very little to say or add to the conversation. Not wanting to embarrass herself or her young lover, Jane preferred to remain quiet and listen. In actuality the savvy businesswoman found you gain more information, if people thought you were stupid.

The unimpressed American found that the husband was much smarter than Her Royal Highness. The Royal Consort was insightful and knowledgeable. He often saw beyond the facts and was able to adroitly steer his Queen to cleaver deductions. The cagy Texan was quite impressed with how the man was able to manipulate the conversation in directions that help his wife see what was eluding her.

Jane fought a silent battle with her confidences. The wily Texan knew that these people needed to know the real reason behind the recent attacks on Maura, but she was told in confidence and could not break that faith unless Patrick Doyle gave her permission to do so.

When Maura related her deductions and her conclusions for what was happening, the cagy American was beyond impressed. Without a crucial piece of data, the intelligent blonde was close to coming to the total answer. As a result, the tall brunette promised herself to talk to Patrick Doyle when he returned from Ireland.

***SE***

Patrick Doyle was headed toward the nearest port with an Isles ship. The anxious father had to get to London as fast as he could. Maura had to be warned about the danger in which she found herself. The nervous smuggler had been forced to take time to gather the smuggled weapons and a wagon in which to transport them.

The firearms had to be returned to London to show the Queen that Isles Shipping handled its affairs with honor and efficiency. The wagon ride to port took five hours, each minute of which he begrudged. Then it was another four hours to load the ship and recall the crew from shore leave.

By the time the tides were right for leaving port, the apprehensive Irishman had lost fourteen hours. Another week at sea and the concerned father had the terrible feeling he was going to be too late to do any good. If only, he hadn't had handicapped Jane Rizzoli with that promise to keep his secret.

He respected that dark American and knew in his heart that she had figured out what was going on. The cagy Texan may not have figured out who it was specifically, but he would bet any amount that she had figured out the generalities. However, he knew the type and that young woman would cut out her tongue before she betrayed a confidence. So, though he knew she had it figured out, the tall American couldn't tell anyone without betraying her promise.

***SE***

The official dinner that followed the unofficial conversation was a waste of time. The trade delegation from France showed no sign as to why they were here. Other than to officially ask for an audience with the Queen, they offered no hint, no clue as to their desires or purpose. Lord Russell was furious and now suspected that the two young women were correct in their assessment that this committee was rutterless.

Lady Isles could see the frustration on the faces of her comrades and knew that it would be up to her to take decisive action. So the honey blonde noblewoman walked up to Jean Gilbert Victor Fialin and said, "I have in my possession five thousand bales of American cotton. I was given to understand your textile mills in Bordeaux need cotton. I need French wine, Champagne and cheese. Be at my office at ten o'clock three days hence or I will trade with the Prussians and close my offices in Bordeaux."

Without further conversation or to wait for a reply, the young aristocrat stormed off to find refuge with her young lover. Jane stood smirking at just a few feet away. The cautious Texan never let her younger girlfriend drift too far from her protection. However, the wily American had heard and observed the exchange.

What Lady Maura hadn't taken time to notice was the reaction from the Frenchies. Fialin pulled a couple of his fellow delegates to the side and had heated words. Then one of them rushed off and found Sir Grey and spoke to him quietly and with conviction.

Lord Grey wandered aimlessly toward Lady Isles, who had come to rest uncomfortably by her dark tall lover. Lord Grey said, "The French are sending a delegation to your London office at ten three days hence. They seemed quite vexed. What did you say?"

The sweet demure sophisticated young woman smirked wickedly and replied, "I merely pointed out that I had American cotton to trade and that if they did not wish it, I could sell it to the Prussians. Additionally, I informed them of my intention to close my Bordeaux office since it was being ill-used."

The older gentleman chuckled, "So you forced their hand. That office in Bordeaux is about the only English merchant office since the rise of Louis-Napoleon. They cannot afford for that office to close, but you knew that, which is why you knew it would work."

The sly young woman merely shrugged as she answered, "I merely got bored."

***SE***

Hugh was examining the carriage when he noticed several ruffians wandering around the area. Men such as these would never be so close to the Royal Guards unless there was a plot being hatched. The cautious bodyguard had no reason to suspect anything other than the workings of some cut purses, but his instincts were screaming and he knew in his gut that something was happening.

The tough bodyguard knew he had to get word to Jane so he went to the stable master and request paper, quill and ink. Writing was not the former seaman's greatest skill, but with diligence and a little help from the quiet stable master, he managed to finish the note.

Taking the note to the kitchen, the concerned protector managed to coerce one of the serving staff to agree to get the note to Jane Rizzoli. It seemed that the young beauty had made quite the impression with the Palace staff in her defense of the servant and her girlfriend in the corridors. So the servant knew exact who to give the note to.

Confident the dark bodyguard had done everything that he could possibly do, Hugh went back to the carriage to watch the situation and hope he could contain whatever it was that was coming.

***SE***

Jane was bored. Every single male in the room had come to ask her to dance or to give her a card with an implied invitation. None of them was the right shape or sex for her tastes, but true to her promise to Maura, the wild American treated each one of them to her patented Rizzoli smile and politely placed each card into her handbag.

The tall Texan had just completed the daunting task of dancing with the youngest son of the Marquis of some such when an older gray haired gentleman approached with ill-disguised purpose. The experienced hunter recognized a predator when she saw one and here was a killer used to succeeding.

The gracefully murderer bowed and introduced himself as the elegant dude presented his card, "I am Henri Martine, heir to the Barony of Martine. Might I say you are the most interesting person in the room. You are a wolf in a room full of sheep. Might I inquire as to a dance."

Martine, so this was the man behind the attacks on my Maura. Here he was announcing himself so politely. So Jane decided to be just as polite and not kill him where he stood. Instead the wily American announced, "Mister, iffin I hadn't promised the Lady Isles I wouldn't cause any trouble tonight I'd knife ya rat cheer and save myself a lot of bother later on. But I kint rat now cause of that there promise I done made.

But let me make y'all a promise. Y'all better pray Lady Maura lives a charmed life. Cause iffin she so much as trips and skins her knee, I aint complaining. I ain't asking. I'm jest gonna keel ya…deader than a bleached skull in an alkaline pool."

The suave sophisticated killer was stunned by the frankness of the wild American. The wily gambler wondered how this young woman had ascertained he wanted to kill the Lady Isles and what was her connection to his ignorant niece. So the bad man responded gently, "I am sorry if I in anyway offended you. It was not my intention. I hardly have any harmful intentions toward Lady Isles. And I have never really met the young woman.

Jane smiled, "That's rat, y'all donts knows her. Y'all has no intention of being associated wit y'all's niece cause it might make you suspect iffin something were to happen. You're slippier than a greased snake ain't cha."

The confused gambler tried to sound more confident than he was. The evil man was trying to figure out how much of his planned was known to this young woman and more importantly had she revealed anything to Lady Isles. In an effort to recover something from his adventure he purred, "You are a little snippet are you not? Why don't we try again? I know we can be friends.

Jane didn't trust the wicked twisted man for a minute, The wicked man was trying to kill Maura and that could not be tolerated. So Jane countered, "Mister, y'al kin forget it. Y'all mighten be the twelve point buck where y'all come from, but y'all ain't the pimple on a tough man's backside. So iffin y'all're getting any notions about going after the Lady then y'all ere plain nuts."

At that moment a servant presented herself with an envelope addressed to Jane and interrupted the conversation. The servant handed Jane the letter and bowed. The nosy man seemed interested in the contents of the letter, so Jane smirked, "Excuse me, sir. I have a personal message. So why don'tcha run along and torture some other woman with your presence."

The open insults caused the evil man to pause…unable to respond to the insult. For a moment the dark gambler looked ready to pounce upon the tough American, but looking deep into her cold fiery eyes caused the man to rethink his position. Thinking better of his position, Henri Martine retreated toward his delegation though Jane caught him several time glancing in her direction.

***SE***

Jane ripped open the envelope and having just met the enemy, the cautious fighter was very concerned for her girl's safety. The wily American scanned the ballroom and spotted Lord Russell speaking with the French Ambassador; obviously the Prime Minister was concerned about what the Ambassador's trade delegation was up to. Willing herself to appear casual, the bold Texan made her way toward the English nobleman.

With an unsaid phrase in her expression, Jane willed Maura to her side. The honey blonde teenager recognized the look of concern and knew Jane needed her by her side. Quietly and discretely, Lady Isles drifted toward the Prime Minister.

With a look that would have stopped the heart of lesser men, the Ambassador received the hard brunette's message to leave. The Ambassador made a half-hearted excuse and retreated toward Martine. It was apparent that everyone in the French conclave was curious about the contents of that message.

Jane had just handed Lord Russell a letter when the young noblewoman arrived. The honey blonde teenager glided next to the tall Texan and whispered, "What is the problem, Jane?"

Jane outlined what was in Hugh's message and then told her and the Prime Minister of her conversation with Henri Martine. Lord Russell interjected, "Henri Martine is the youngest brother and the last. It seems that his other siblings all met premature deaths. The man is considered to be very dangerous with connections in the lowest of circles."

Jane stated, "I'm positive he's the man behind these attacks on Lady Isles. He strikes me as a snake oil salesman…damn…I mean Milord."

Maura chuckled as the Prime Minister asked, "What's snake oil?"

Jane shook her head at the ignorance of such a powerful man, as she responded, "It's sort of a medicine. You see a man says he has a medicine made from the oil of a snake and that it can cure anything. When in reality there's no such a thing. The medicine is usually made of alcohol and some herbs to make it palatable. So, all the medicine will do is get you so drunk you think you feel better until you sober up. By then the snake oil salesman's gone… Milord…I promise I'm not stupid I will get the hang of this milord thing."

The Prime Minister answered, "Yes that describes the man perfectly."

Maura seemed a bit confused as she asked, "Why do you think Martine tipped his hand?"

Lord Russell nearly laughed, "I don't think he knew he was tipping his hand. People who don't know the two of you have no idea how close the two of you are. Additionally Henri Martine is a bachelor and I think he just saw the loveliest and interesting woman in the room, no offense meant Lady Isles…"

The honey blonde noblewoman interjected, "None taken, Milord. I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment. I find Jane Rizzoli both lovely and interesting."

The Prime Minister had suspicions about the relationship of these two young women, but refused to speculate for the Queen would not approve and they needed Lady Isle's shipping and assistance against Louis-Napoleon. So the older nobleman cleared his throat and continued, "So, I think it was just a single man trying to impress a beautiful young woman. He just picked the wrong beautiful young woman to try and impress."

Maura and Jane nodded their agreement with that evaluation as Jane asked, "Well, Milord, the question is what do we do about the present situation? It ain't gonna take keer of itself, now is it?"

Before the insightful Lord could answer the question, Maura interrupted, "What I think is more important is whether Martine is involved at all. I mean I see no reason or profit in what he is doing."

Jane sheepishly answered, "Maura, I know the reason, but the information I used to glean an understanding of his motivation. However, I was given the information in question in confidence. I do not break confidences."

***SE***

The plan was simple. Jane and Maura were going to leave the ball immediately. Lord Russell was going to explain the problem to the Queen and keep the French delegation occupied. Meanwhile, the couple with six Palace Guards would exit the building and head to the awaiting carriages.

The pair of young women left quietly and made their way through the kitchen and out the back toward the side door that led to the awaiting carriages. Hugh would be there with twenty guards. The problem was getting Maura safely from twenty guards before they were attacked.

As they approached the door that led to the carriages, Henri Martine finally noticed the absence of Lady Isles. If he didn't move quickly he would lose another opportunity. The anxious Frenchman gave himself away when he went to the balcony with a candle and waved it into the air.

Upon that signal a man near the carriages started shouting, "We're starving and these Lords and Ladies are having a ball. I could feed my family for a month on their scrapes. We want food! We want food!,,,"

Others in the crowd started picking up the chant which was driving the crowd to feverish frenzy. The mob was now deadly and ready to pounce. Hugh had gathered his men and was attempting to keep the crowd away from the door and the carriages. The tough bodyguard knew he couldn't hold off the crowd for very long. However, if the couple were fast enough they might get to the carriages and away before the mob could react.

Jane could hear the mob shouting as they approached the door, so she knew they were in trouble. Calmly Jane stopped her young lover and said, "I'm going to clear the way for you. You head straight for the carriage. Don't wait for me. Get away. I'll make my way back you can bank on it."

Maura started to protest, but the rugged Texan continued, "I can take care of myself. Besides they want you not me."

With that said Jane proceeded to strip down to her corset, so as to be unencumbered when they rushed out of the door. Not really wanting to know how she managed it, the honey blonde teen watched in amazement as the wild American pulled out six knives.

Only one of the six were hers, the other knives were being kept for the tribe had lost. From the confines of the dress, Jane pulled out her knife belt and proceeded to place the knives in it and then put it around her narrow waist. Jane announced, "I'm ready. Now when we rush out this door, you head straight for the carriage and order it away. Go directly to the Manor. I will meet you there. Make sure you keep Hugh right next to you until I get home."

Maura knew better than to protest, so she leapt into her brunette lover's arms and passionately kissed her in front of the six guards. The six red-coated men tried desperately to disappear. They had to settle for not listening into their concentration.

***SE***

The six Royal Guardsmen were through the door first. The six trained soldiers burst through the door and held a narrow perimeter. When Maura came through the door the well rehearsed protectors formed around her and started dashing toward the carriages. Jane watched the crowd closely from the shadows looking for the immediate dangers.

At the sight of the finely dressed Lady the mob tried to rush her, only to be held in check by Hugh's bullyboys. It was then that Jane spotted the true danger, several men in the crowd pulled pistols from their shirts and prepared to fire on the phalanx. Wishing she had at least on pistol herself Jane charged the closest gunman.

The man never had a chance. The dangerous gunman was intent on his target and unaware of his surroundings. He didn't live to discover his mistake. The thrown knife lodge in the shoulder of his gun arm and severed the muscle that held the joint together. As the stunned man writhed in pain dropping his weapon someone pulled his head back by his long greasy lice infested hair and dragged a second blade across his throat.

Jane dove to the ground and grabbed the LeMat before it hit the ground as she came up from a roll she fired a second gunman furthest from her position, but closest to Maura. The man's head exploded as he fell to the ground inert.

The other four gunmen realized they were in physical danger and they moved from their original targets and started firing at the person shooting at them personally. Jane shot a third gunman before they could change targets. Quickly the mob was panicked by all the gunfire and was forced to dash to safety.

Maura got into her coach with only three of her Royal Guardsmen standing. As the frightened noblewoman entered the coach she spared a look for her lover. The concerned Lady saw her friend, her lover, her protector firing a pistol as bullets ricocheted around her.

Hugh was shouting for her to leave. There was nothing the honey blonde teenager could do for her girlfriend, but her heart would not allow her to move from this spot until her Jane was safely with her. Only Hugh would not allow the anxious heiress to stay and he ordered the driver to go to the Manor immediately.

Hugh hated himself for his next action. The dutiful bodyguard knew he could not let his charge go home unescorted. As the driver started the horse, the dark protector dashed to the back of the coach and leap onto the footman's station leaving Jane to fight alone.

***SE***

Jane could see that Maura was hesitating out of the corner of her eye, which was all she could spare at the moment with bullets ricocheting everywhere. Jane willed her girlfriend to flee. Her presence endangered everyone in the area. Stray bullets and ricochets were hitting several civilians who had been late running for cover, including a young woman who had been holding the hand of a small toddler.

Without any consideration for her own safety, the dark brunette rushed the youngster and scooped the child into her arms and raced toward the remaining guardsmen. The boy screamed for his mother, but Jane knew there was no helping her. The carriage was on its way with Hugh hanging onto the rear of the coach.

The fighting American allowed herself a sigh of relief before she dropped the screaming child with a wounded guardsman. The Hurricane Jane charged into the fray. Palming the LeMat in her right hand the dangerous Texas opened fire downing another of the assailants.

Jane felt a sting across her arm and hard against her leg, but she kept moving. Diving for one of the fallen men, Jane retrieved his pistol and was stopped as she hit his unmoving body.

With her second pistol and with Hugh's men behind her, she started driving the outclassed seamen from the scene. The angry American was about to go and kill Martine, when a retreating gunman fired three wild shots two missed, but the third hit the tough Texan hard to the shoulder.

The momentum of the shot knocked the hardened fighter to the ground. The retreating gunman was running away as a wounded brunette rose to a sitting position and nailed the man who had shot her. No other shots were fired and the crowd had totally dispersed.

With the adrenaline fading and her wounds bleeding, Jane collapsed in front of Buckingham Palace.

***SE***

Jane woke to a man cleaning one of her wounds. The injured Texan was lying on the street while the older gentleman tended her wounds. The groggy teenager muttered, "How long have I been out?"

The man shrugged his shoulders as one of Hugh's men came forward and answered, "About ten minutes, marm."

Jane struggled to get to her feet, but gentle hands forced her back to the ground. Jane stammered, "Martine will get away. I'm gonna kill the sombitch. I promised him iffin one thing went against Maura I would take it out on him."

The man tending her wounds stated, "Young woman, you are no condition to kill anyone. Now, lie quietly while tend those wounds."

Jane lay back down as the man gently probed her shoulder for the invading bullet. Shyly a young boy approached and sobbed, "They took my mommy."

Jane replied, "Don't cry. I'll take care of you."

Suddenly a wave of pain hit as the man had obviously touched something he shouldn't have and passed out with a small boy wiping his nose with his sleeve."

***SE***

Jane awoke in a soft bed, but with more pains than she felt in a while. A young toddler lay in the bed beside her and a honey blonde angel was dozing softly in a stuffed chair by the bed. The wounded American's mouth felt pasty and parched.

The tough Texan saw a pitcher of water by her bed and went to reach for it was prevented by the plaster of Paris cast covering her shoulder. She winced in pain that radiated from his right thigh to her right shoulder. Thwarted in her effort to get water, she croaked, "Could someone get me some water?"

Maura jumped from her chair and rushed to the bed. The honey blonde buried her curls in her lover's chest and whimpered, "I was so worried. Don't ever do that to me again!"

Jane responded sheepishly, "I only asked for a drink of water."

Maura blushed at the tender admonishment and hurried to get her injured girlfriend a glass of water. The tender nurse raised her lover's to help her drink the water. Jane drank heartily as the cool liquid water her dry and arid mouth.

All the commotion awoke the young boy, who asked, "Is the lady waked up?"

Maura grinned at the young child and replied, "Yes, Jeremy, she is awake. Why don't you come over here and say hello while I get her something to eat?"

The honey blonde teen left hurriedly out the room leaving the youngster with her girlfriend. The young boy crawled over to the wounded young woman and touched her face gently before removing his hand quickly. Jane smiled, as the boy asked, "Wars my mommy?"

The tough Texan's smile vanished as she replied, "In heaven child with the angels."

The dark haired boy sobbed as he asked, "Why'd she leave me all alone?"

The rough and tumble American was on unfamiliar ground. The battle hardened brunette was not used to explaining the hardships of life to a young toddler, but she tried, "Your mother didn't want to go. Bad men took her away, but God didn't let her go to a bad place. He loves us all, so He took her to a good place to wait for you to grow up and one day join her. She's sitting in heaven right now looking down at you and looking out for you."

The sad little boy had tears running down his cheek as he responded, "Wars heaven?"

The young woman had cornered herself, but did her best to work her way out of the corner, "Heaven is in the sky high above us and the angels and God lives there. They look after us to make sure Satan doesn't trick us or steal our souls. However, Satan has bad men and women who work for him and we have to watch out for those bad people. 'The Lord helps those who help themselves.'"

Maura returned with a tray of soup and some hot tea for Jane and biscuits and milk for the child. Jane hadn't noticed her return so the honey blonde teenager took the opportunity to observe her girlfriend and the young boy interact. It warmed the younger teen's heart to see this soft side of the wild American teenager who had stolen her heart so easily. Seeing that same magic work on this child made it more real.

Maura walked over to the side table by Jane's bed and put down the tray. Then the makeshift nurse placed a dainty napkin in her charge's lap allowing the honey blonde caregiver to sit on the bed and spoon soup for her injured lover.

Jane hadn't realized how hungry she was until that first spoonful of soup flow gently down her throat. When it reached her stomach, her body cried out for more. The young boy looked at the soup and remarked, "That looks good. I'm hungry too."

Maura put down the bowl of soup for a moment and placed the tray of oatmeal and raisin biscuits on the far side of the table along with the glass of milk and said, "Here you go you little monkey. You come over here and sit down and eat."

As the child ambled over to the indicated chair to devour oatmeal and raisin biscuits to be washed down with cold milk, Maura retrieved the bowl of soup and started to feed her Jane some more.

***SE***

The tray of empty dishes was testimony to how hungry the pair had been. The boy lay by the wounded warrior buried in her side. The tender moment was not lost on the young couple as Jane asked, "How long have I been unconscious?"

Maura nearly cried as she replied, "Nearly two days. I was beginning to worry you would never regain consciousness though Hugh guaranteed you were too mean to die without killing Henri Martine."

Jane half smiled and half smirked as she answered, "He was right about that. If I been able, I would have killed him that night. The bastard was lucky."

The honey blonde noblewoman became serious as she responded, "Oh Jane, when will it stop? I do not want any more violence. You could have been killed and where would that have left me?"

The tough Texan looked sternly at her girlfriend and replied, "Alive and that is how I'm gonna keep ya. If anything should happen to me, you will go on and live your life for both of us. It's my lot in life to be the hunter and yourn to be the gatherer. That being said, I ain't going nowhere anytime soon and it'll take more than a couple of lead balls in me to kill this girl."

A voice from the doorway laughed, "You got that right. I ain't never seen anyone more awry and unwilling to die in my life."

Jane smiled broadly at the tall bodyguard as she asked, "You find Martine?"

Hugh shook his head as he replied, "No, the whole Empire is looking for him. The Queen wants his head decorating the gates of the Palace for breaking the safety of her home for a second time. If he shows his face anywhere in the Empire, the Queen will have his guts for garters."

The dark American responded, "She'll have to wait in line. I got first crack."

Her tender Lady reacted, "Please, no more violence, Jane. I will not have you hurt again. I have seen the scars you have been wounded too many times. The doctor told me you have seventeen knife or claw wounds, three bite scars and seven bullet wounds. Your body cannot keep taking that much damage. Besides I have some bad news."

The battle tested Texan frowned, "What bad news?"

The young noblewoman took her lover's hand and sighed, "Your shoulder wound was serious. It torn up some muscle and it may not repair correctly. The doctor said you might not be able to use that arm."

Jane laughed with gusto. The amused brunette laughed until her wounds ached. When the hardened young woman stopped laughing she said, "Is that what you were worried about? Hell Maura ain't you learned nothing about me. I've been shot, stabbed, mauled and tomahawked and I always came back. I know one day the Good Lord is going to take me, but it ain't gonna be before I finish what I need to finish."

Hugh commented, "Milady, there are people in the world who go through hardships and are hardened like steel, while others just crumble under the heat of life. Jane Rizzoli has been hardened to the point that she doesn't know fear or doubt and not out of arrogance, but out of experience. You say you don't want any more violence, unfortunately we live in a violent world and it takes people like Miss Jane to stand up against the violence to protect those who can't stand up against it on their own. Milady, you may want this to be over, but Martine is still out there and he does not."

***SE***

Two days later, Jane is sitting up in her bed with pillows propped behind her eating bits of steak and potatoes, which Maura has cut for her. Her shoulder hurt most of the time now, but the tough Texan just ignore the pain. When asked about it she'd reply, "Pain lets you know you're alive." Or "Pain is in your head." Or "Pain don't hurt unless you let it."

When the young American had finished her meal, Maura entered with a letter in her hand and Patrick Doyle at her side. Doyle said, "Well, don't we look comfy. I see your milking this for all its worth."

Jane smirked as she responded, "Hell beats skinning lions and rassling bears."

Maura handed her girlfriend a letter and said, "It came today. It is from your father."

The anxious noblewoman was worried it was a recall home of her girlfriend. Maura was in constant fear of the day when her young lover would have to go home. The honey blonde teenager intellectually knew the day would come, but emotionally she was not ready.

Jane opened the letter and read:

**_Dearest Janie,_**

**_I understand why you needed to go without talking to me first, but I wish you had taken a little time to consider the worry you have caused your Mother. I know you think you love this girl, but have you thought this all through. Loving another woman ain't right with the Lord, child. I ain't ever told you what to do or how to live and I won't start now. Whatever life you choose I will back you 100%,_**

**_However, I want you to choose carefully and think it all through like you do when you're hunting. I love you and will respect any decision you make. I know you will always do what you think is right. That's the way I raised you._**

**_Red Blanket was by to see you two days ago and didn't look well. It was a long hard ride for that old man. He said to tell you white raiders are trying to make it look like Comanche are raiding the border towns, but he wanted to make sure you knew it weren't him or his people. That Old Man don't give a tinker's damn about what anybody thinks except you._**

**_Your mother wanted me to remind you that she won't get any grandbabies unless you get married to a man. She says the boys are too wild to settle down and she was counting on you to make her a grandmother. You know your maw, if you marry a pig, she'll stop eating bacon._**

**_Mustang broke his leg over the winter and is just getting back to work. Cain got in a scrap with a band of Kiowas, but nobody was killed. Business is booming. You left everything running smooth. I'm enclosing five hundred dollars for expenses. I ain't got any idea when you're coming home, but you stay as long as you need to be happy._**

**_ All my love,_**

**_ Your Papa._**

An anxious noblewoman asked, "Does he want you to come home?"

The dark American laughed, "Like that would do him any good. If he ordered me home, I would ignore him and he knows it. I ain't ever been good at taking orders.

No he was reminding me that we can't have kids and they want to be grandparents. He sent me five hundred dollars in paper. I didn't know Papa knew how to get paper money."

A much relieved honey blonde responded, "Well, they need to meet Jeremy. Why don't you write home and tell them you have a new son and tell them about the boy."

Using the power of her office, Maura had gotten custody of the boy for Jane. The lad was now Jane's ward for now and forever. It was a very emotional day when Jane told the boy, "I know I can never replace your maw, but I'll do the best I can to raise you proper."

The boy responded, "Are you my new maw?"

Jane smiled, "I guess I am. Are you okay with that?"

The boy queried, "What if my real maw comes back?"

Jane's smile faded as she explained, "Jeremy, your mother is never coming back. She's in Heaven and you know that people don't come back from Heaven. But should a miracle happen and your maw returns, I will give you back to her."

The answer was enough for the youngster, as he said, "Okay!"

As the boy skipped off, Jane smiled and thought about what to teach the boy first.

***SE***

Patrick Doyle asked his Lady and her mother to join him in Jane's room. His excuse was they needed to talk. The former smuggler and manager of Isles Shipping logistic operation was responsible for insuring every shipment was correct and equipped properly. The fact that several Isles ships were used to smuggle weapons into America and Ireland had angered the man The fact that Lady Isles through Jane Rizzoli had discovered the misappropriations before he did disturbed even more. Now it comes out that the Martines were behind the plot.

First the old man had tried to kidnap his daughter and with him dead his youngest brother, Henri, starts tries to kill his secret daughter so he can inherit the Martine Barony. It was laughable really; the entire Martine estate couldn't produce more than a couple of days of expenses for Isles Shipping which now had hundreds of ship at sea at any given moment.

The Martines lived off purchasing smuggled goods and reselling them to French and Prussian aristocrats at inflated priced. Louis-Napoleon knew about this activity and used it to further his knowledge of Prussia and her defense. It had been a good arrangement so fat, Napoleon had a good grasp of the extent and knowledge of Prussian troop movement.

The knowledge of Martine's plan to eliminate Maura had made it impossible for the secret father to keep this information from her. Every moment his daughter moved in ignorance the more her life would be in danger. He had shared the information with the formidable American in confidence, so the woman who loved his daughter and was maybe the most dangerous person he had ever met could protect his daughter better, but that had almost gotten the tough Texan killed.

Now was the moment he had dreaded since he had accepted Lord Isle's offer to work for him and thus be able to see his daughter grow up. Thus the former smuggler and thief was going to tell the second most powerful woman in England, he was her father. Quietly he entered Jane's room, the designated as the meeting spot. As he entered, Jane said in whispers, "I need to tell her. I have kept your secret, but passed time to tell her everything. She is danger as long as she is moving about in ignorance."

Paddy agreed and replied while arranging three high back stuffed chairs around the young teen's bed, "I've called a meeting Lady Isles and her mother are meeting us here in a couple of minutes. I just wanted you to know ahead of time how proud I am that you kept your word without even a hint of given or slip of the tongue made. I am sorry that the secret got you shot."

Jane laughed a delighter condescending guffaw and replied, "You had nothing to do with my getting wounded. I was ready, but as you know circumstances on the battlefield change with ever movement of the soldiers. I got careless trying to save a toddler from becoming causality."

At that moment Lady Maura and her mother entered the room. Patrick Doyle rose to his feet and bowed deeply and with the upmost respect. The former smuggler asked his Lady and her mother to sit down. Constance feared she knew the purpose of this meeting. The adoptive mother dreaded telling her daughter about her true heritage. The statuesque brunette never hid the fact her daughter was adopted. However, the insecure mother had hid the truth about Paddy Doyle, a smuggler and criminal as being her biological father.

The reality of the Martines being involved in recent attempts on Maura were not lost on the intelligent aristocrat, so she was not surprised that Patrick Doyle had called this meeting to discuss why such attacks were occurring.

Her only doubt s lay in why Jane Rizzoli's room. The not totally insensitive woman knew that Jane Rizzoli was to remain in bed a few more days due to her injuries. However even though the tall American had saved her daughter once again, the older noblewoman saw no reason why the violent Texan should be privy to family business.

After all, Miss Rizzoli was still only a commoner and not someone the anxious mother was anxious to share family secrets. The young woman was already too intimate with her daughter and was spoiling her chances at rising in the peerage with the right marriage. With the Isles wealth and stature a marriage to one of the Queen's sons was very possible.

A dalliance with the lovely and wild young American was quite understandable and where she her daughter she too would love to have the experience. The older aristocrat had long ago discovered that the arms of a woman were preferable to the gruntings of a man. However, marriage was the only way a woman could possibly advance her station in life and should this affair become public those prospect will vanish.

So to get the issue in the open Lady Constance asked, "Mr. Doyle, pray tell why have you requested this gathering?"

The talented agent and spy smirked because he knew perfectly well, the Lady's mother was just trying to control the situation, so he answered, "Lady Constance, you of all people know perfectly well why I have called this meeting."

The triumphant brunette pounced, "Then I propose we adjourn to another room Miss Rizzoli need not be burdened with our family affairs as they might hinder her recovery."

Maura stiffened and retorted, "Mother, Jane is my family, now. You may not think of her as such. However, I certainly do. Furthermore we have discussed this very issue. What I know she knows."

The pronouncement made Jane grimace, as she had kept a very vital secret from her lover and felt a pang of guilt about it. The reaction was not missed by Patrick Doyle, who further squelched the haughty mother's argument by announcing, "Miss Rizzoli already is privy to this information and had kept it confidential at my request."

The infuriated mother exploded, "Why on God's green Earth would you impart such personal information to a perfect stranger."

The defiant father answered, "You know perfectly well, why I did what I did. Miss Rizzoli was the primary protector of Lady Isles and needed to know what was happening and why. Additionally someone had to know the full story in case I was not around. As it was it was very fortunate that I gave her the information otherwise Lady Isles might be dead or in that bed in Miss Rizzoli's stead.

Lady Constance, whether you want to admit it or not, Lady Isles is committed to Miss Rizzoli on an emotional level as I was with Hope and you had better understand the implications of that truth. Otherwise you could alienate your daughter's affections and loose her to hate and resentment.

Now shall I tell Lad Maura all the facts or should you tell her as only a mother should?"

Jane spoke up and said flatly, "I should tell her as I have been hiding something from her, when she has hid nothing from me. I've been losing my faculties trying desperately to keep my confidence with Mr. Doyle and my telling the woman I love the truth about her birth. Never again will I be a party to such a confidence.

Maura dear, you said, 'All that I knew, she knows.' Well because of a confidence with which I was entrusted. I have not been as forthcoming with you. Some time ago Mr. Doyle entrusted with me the identity of your birth parents.

You mother was the daughter of Baron Martine, which is why he wanted to kidnap you. Your grandfather was an evil and vengeful man. He did not approve of your mother's marriage and disowned her. The act inevitably killed your mother.

The Isles family adopted you as a favor to your mother, who was a dear friend of Lady Constance. Now that your grandfather has died you are the heir to the Martine Barony. Your Uncle Henri is next in line and wants you dead and disgraced. He is an evil and greedy man, who has committed many heinous acts through the years.

Once you are out of the way, your uncle inherits your title and your estates in France. So he must have you dead, but it cannot be linked to him in any manor, because it would call the deaths of his brothers and their families into question. Louis-Napoleon could not ignore such carnage. So you have to die by accident or by the acts of others not related to him. Had I not been so wounded, I would have sought him out at the Ball and killed him that very night."

The stunned young noblewoman asked with a strangled silence, "Who is my father?"

Jane hung her head in shame as she again was bound by her promise to Paddy Doyle and muttered with tears in her voice, "That is for him to reveal not I. Sweetness you will not be ashamed or disappointed with the knowledge of whom he is. He is a good man."

Patrick Doyle looked at the pain in the dark brunette's eyes and saw the open honesty and tender heart that was necessarily buried very deeply within this hardened pioneer. He had never really understood his Lady's love for this woman until this very moment. Jane Rizzoli was a person who needed to be loved and loved with a passion that was almost majestic in its scope. So the nervous father interjected, "Milady, I am your real father. Hope Martine was my one true love in this life. I have loved no other, except her daughter. It was the hardest thing I ever did in giving you to the Isles, but it was so necessary at the time.

Napoleon Bonaparte was emperor, but was losing his power. Chaos was ruling the land and I was deeply involved in many illegal and dangerous enterprises. My enemies would have targeted you to get to me. So I gave you to your mother's best friend because I knew she would see her old friend in you and love you for it. When this is all over I will tell you about your mother."

Tears were streaking down his face as he continued, "For now suffice it to say we have other problems to solve. There is only one way for Milady to be safe and that is to eliminate the threat."

Jane nodded her agreement as she said, "I made Henri Martine a promise I intend to keep."

Maura's brow crinkled as she asked innocently, "What promise is that my beloved?"

The hardened killer and hunter replied with all seriousness, "I promised the man if you so much as stubbed your toe, I would kill him. I will keep that promise."

The terrified honey blonde with tears in her eyes cried out, "Well, I am unharmed, so there is no more need for any violence. You were nearly killed, beloved."

Paddy Doyle broke into the conversation and replied, "Milady, there is plenty need for more violence. In this day in time we live with violence every day otherwise why do you need so many bodyguards? As long as Henri Martine lives, he will try and kill you. So there is only one answer to our problem Henri Martine must die."

Everyone in the room remain quiet contemplating many things. However, no one noticed the malice in Lady Constance's eyes as she spied on the young Texan in bed. The woman was in the way of her plans for her daughter's future. Furthermore the commoner was beneath her daughter. The ambitious woman had to take action, but wasn't quite sure yet as how to do it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: I have found that shorter chapters are easier to write and read. So I am shorting the chapters from ten thousand words to two to four thousand words. **

Chapter 14: Betrayal

Lady Constance read the letter for the third time. Its contents were clear the Queen was interested in pursuing a betrothal between the Queen's half sister's third son; Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. The prospect of her daughter marrying into the Royal House was intoxicating.

However her daughter had it made quite clear she was not interested in marriage due to her liaison with this Rizzoli woman. A dalliance was one thing, but to lose the prospect of becoming part of the Royal House was a travesty.

The ambitious woman failed to remember that her daughter was uninterested in marriage long before her dalliance with the wild Texan. Her daughter was not interest in marriage because she would by law lose control of her property and title which was a prospect that the young heiress wanted to avoid.H However the Lady Regent had decided to forget that reasoning because the statuesque brunette was blinded by her ambition.

As Regent of the Isles estate, the conniving noblewoman had the power to force this marriage on her daughter. However, her daughter had made it clear were she to attempt such a coupe, she would be removed from Regency and shipped to a convent somewhere remote and out of the way.

Additionally, the aging mother knew her daughter. The young heiress would never forgive her and that would end any contact between the two women. The prospect of such an occurrence was sickening.

So, the determined noblewoman decided that her daughter must be removed her lover's influence and charisma. The ruthless mother determined the only way to do that was to have the Rizzoli woman exiled from England. Therefore, the impressive noblewoman devised an elaborate scheme to do just that.

***SE***

Gina could tell her longtime lover was distracted and upset. All through dinner the lovely brunette had said little except in answering the most direct questions. Not once did the normally talkative woman volunteer a single word to the dinner conversation.

Lady Isles and her companion, Jane Rizzoli, were not at dinner again. Lady Isles had tickets to a new production of Richard the Third at the Convent Gardens. Miss Rizzoli had mentioned that she loved Shakespeare but had never seen a production of any of his plays. The well-read Texan had only read his words from books.

The experience of seeing one of the Bard's plays performed on stage was a magnificent treat in the eyes of the surprisingly cultured American. Though the young woman had been raised in one of the violent environments in the history of the world, the intelligent teenager had a fondness for the arts and a sense of wonder at seeing a master of those arts.

The young women were going to dine at Simpson's Grand Divan Tavern, where Maura was more than welcome as a master of chess. The Grand Master there loved to play with the talented young noblewoman as her style was so different from that which was fashionable at the time. Maura played defensive chess and waited for her opponents to err before she attacked with a vengeance. The popular style of the day was to attack relentlessly and beat down an opponent. Lady Maura's new style had shown its superiority.

Gina and her daughters dined with the distracted noble but they might as well have been in another room and that made the perceptive woman very suspicious. For days now her normally outgoing and loving relationship had been stilted and distant.

When the couple retired to their shared chambers, the worried Frenchwoman asked in French, "_What's bothering you?_"

The worried mother really didn't know if she should answer that question. The deviousness of her plan had caused her to become mistrustful of everyone around her. However this was the love of her life and how could she question where her lover's loyalties lay. So the reserved noblewoman answered, "_I am worried about Maura's liaison with the Rizzoli woman. I have an offer of marriage from the Queen into her family and I know what my daughter's answer will be. It is such a great offer. Maura would become a princess and her children could one day be a king or a queen, but as long as she is having this dalliance with the American slut she will never entertain any marriage proposal._"

The nervous lover remembered many discussions about this very topic with Lady Maura and the young woman was animate about not ever marrying, but for reasons that had nothing to do with the young Texan. Lady Isles knew that should she marry control of her finances and her title would go to her husband and the young heiress had no intention of giving up control of her affairs.

However, the longtime lover knew her lover's moods and the lovely commoner knew better than question the brunette's motives in such a mood as this. So the cautious devotee replied, "_Constance, your daughter is in love and as such is smitten. How can you deny her such happiness? Have you not on many a night lamented how you were denied as a young woman?_"

Not wanting to admit the validity of her girlfriend's argument, the confused noblewoman responded, "_This is different. I married and took my place in society. Maura is ostracizing herself from society. I need to prevent that, besides it would be a good marriage for her. If it weren't for this silly flirtation, Maura would be royalty in just a year or two._"

The words dalliance and flirtation danced in Gina's head. Is this how Constance thought of their relationship? If so, then her position in this household was very ambiguous. What if her lover became bored of their relationship or felt the dalliance had run its course? The anxious girlfriend decided to placate her lover in order to protect her daughters and her positions, "_What can you do to stop it? Lady Maura has made it clear, she will accept no interference._"

The plotting mother smirked, "_Ah, that is the question is it not? What can I do? There is only one answer to that question. Henri Martine must succeed in ridding us of this nuisance. I have a plan and need some help, but I was reluctant to involve you as it might not succeed and my daughter could do much to harm you and your daughters._"

Gina consider all the consequences and came to the conclusion that her loyalty must be to her lover or she could lose all her favor. So the obedient servant answered, "_What can I do to help?_"

***SE***

Jane and Maura had a lovely evening. The diner at Simpson's was excellent and punctuated by a discussion of Lady Maura's new chess strategy with several of the resident masters. Though they had all been beaten by the stratagem they were reluctant to change their long-held beliefs.

The conversation had been invigorating and though Jane could see the validity of her lover's style of play, the dynamic Texan also had trouble not attacking at the outset rather than playing defensively and waiting for an opening. Her experience in battle had taught her that you created openings not wait for one to magically appear. However, Maura had never lost a match, so who could argue with success.

After their enjoyable dinner and lively discussion, the couple took their carriage to the theater. Jane had never been to a real theater. The only plays the lifelong frontierswoman was given by traveling bands of actors who performed in saloons or corals. When the plays were in saloons there was an admissions fee, but when they set up in corals, people would just toss coins at the players if they thought the performance warranted it.

In West Texas entertainment of any kind was in short supply. Mostly it consisted of church socials, barn raisings and town dances. Her pa had given several parties and everyone with riding distance was invited. Once the troops at Fort Worth had a dance and because the lovely Texan had been delivering horses to the cavalry, she had been invited. The beautiful teenager had been the belle of the ball, being one of only three single women at the dance.

Therefore it was a very special treat for the culturally deprived Texan to see a real play in an actual theater. The hall was magnificent and the acoustics were unnatural. Sitting in their private box the pair could hear the slightest sound and the view from the special box was right over the stage and unrestricted. Jane was in heaven.

Maura spent most of the play watching her young lover watch the play with such unabashed astonishment and wonder. To the inexperienced spectator each movement was a phenomenon and each effect was a wonder. The honey blonde teenager watched the passion and the awe in her girlfriend's face and enjoyed each sensation that passed across her expression.

The enrapture noblewoman watched her tough battle-hardened lover cry at the tragedy if the play and smile at its moments of warmth, though those are very few in Richard III. When the evil King called for a horse and then refused it because the warped man wouldn't accept help from someone of lower station, Jane said, "What an idiot! I wouldn't care if that horse came from Satan himself, I'd of took him."

While everyone clapped reservedly at the end of the play, Jane stood tall and cheered. The wild American clapped violently while cheering and whistling. Lady Maura would normally have been embarrassed by such a show in public, but the unashamed enthusiasm only made her smile.

***SE***

Three days later, while Lady Maura was in town gathering information on Henri Martine, the still slightly wounded warrior stayed in her room to recover. The tall brunette was startled awake was greeted by Georgina, who said, "Milady, I have a message from Lady Isles. She would like you to meet her at Isles dock number five. The message said that she has uncovered some information on Henri Martine and that the criminal has not fled English justice."

Jane was surprised that the Frenchman had not fled though it pleased her that she would be able to kill the evil man herself. The wily Texan asked, "Did the message mention anything else?"

The polite French maid curtsied and replied, "Nothing, Milady. May I help you get dressed?"

Jane hopped out of bed and responded, "I don't need any help putting on my pants, but I could use some breakfast."

The efficient young woman rushed to fulfill the request. Jane hurried to get dressed. Since the wily Texan was going to the docks, she dressed in her deerskin tunic and moccasins. While Georgina was getting the tough teenager's breakfast, the cautious Texan started concealing her knives. Sometime ago the wild American had promised her girlfriend that she would carry her pistols in public, but that would keep the careful Indian fighter from carry some concealed weapons.

The cleaver American used her two sleeve guns in case a real emergency arose. Georgina entered the room carry a large tray with a healthy breakfast of eggs, fresh ham, biscuits and a pot of steaming coffee. The famished westerner ate heartily.

After finishing her second cup of coffee, Jane felt tired and had trouble keeping her eyes open. The tired Texan started to get up, but her legs gave out and the veteran warrior fell to the ground. The weary American made one more attempt at getting up from the floor, but fell flat on her face. Before she passed out the dark brunette realized she had been drugged."

***SE***

Lady Constance had given specific instructions that the young American was not to be harmed in any way. Two men were hired to transport the unconscious teenager to an Isles ship that was waiting for a special cargo to be delivered.

The two men gently took the lean Texan and loaded into a cart and drove it to the dock where two sailors and a ship's first officer were waiting to receive the goods. The two sailors then transferred the unconscious young woman to the ship where she was locked in the captain's cabin. Lady Constance's orders were very detailed on the treatment of the young woman after all she was a gentlewoman and not a savage.

The Lady Constance made only three mistakes. The first was from inexperience in dealing with fighters like Jane Rizzoli the unknowledgeable noblewoman hadn't had the veteran warrior frisked for weapons. Her second mistake was the lifelong noble assumed everyone would obey her instructions without question. Her third and most dangerous mistake was underestimating Jane Rizzoli's resolve in not going home yet.

Her choice of ships had been carefully selected. The intelligent woman didn't want a ship's captain that had had direct dealings with the dynamic Texan. Additionally the conniving noblewoman wanted a ship that was going to America. To a noble who had never been to America, any place in America was the same as any other place not calculating on the vastness of the country.

This particular ship was bound for Haiti then Boston. In Haiti the ship would deliver its cargo of raw sugar and English textiles and load a cargo of rice and rum.

The ship's captain was familiar with the standing orders of Lady Isles that Jane Rizzoli was to given any assistance she required at any time. However the man had never met Miss Rizzoli and he only had a description to recognize her. It had not occurred to him that this young woman might be the very same Jane Rizzoli…mistake number four.

***SE***

Jane fought her way through the fog of the drug that had been given her. When the veteran warrior awoke she was instantly aware of her surroundings. The experience traveler knew a ship's cabin when she saw one and from the rocking of the vessel the wily Texan could tell they were at sea. From the porthole the intelligent teenager knew it was twilight.

The cagy American had no idea how long she had been unconscious and therefore had no idea how long she had been at sea. What the experience fighter did know is that no one had taken her weapons. Silently the angry fighter inventoried her available weapons. With eight knives, two sleeve pistols and a hideout Le Mat the hard-bitten killer had enough weapons to take on a ship's crew.

Like most merchant ships the crew would be unarmed except for working knives. They only armed if they sensed the ship was in danger.

Jane tested the door quietly and found it was locked. However like all cabin locks it was designed to keep people from entering unannounced not from keeping prisoners locked in a room. The cagy Texan looked through the keyhole and it was clear. So they had been prudent enough to take the key but the locking mechanism was simple.

Looking around the cabin the wily American found a letter opener and a silver toothpick and it was perfect for what she need to do. Using the opener to hold the tumblers and the toothpick to push the locking bolt the door quickly unlocked.

The careful fighter opened the door as quietly as she could and glanced outside. There were no guards. Obviously this was a merchantman. Since a merchant ship was always crewed lightly, men couldn't be spared for guard duty on a door of a woman's cabin. Jane chuckled…men.

Creeping down the small corridor to the ship's stairway, Jane still encountered no resistance. At the top of the stairs the twin doors of the cabin hatch opened onto the deck. From the lack of light coming from under the door, the veteran warrior knew that the moon was either clouded or not there.

Jane opened a single side of the double doors a little and as she thought only a skeleton crew was on deck this time of twilight. The crew was probably at dinner, which also meant the Captain would soon be coming down to eat.

Moving silently and efficiently out of the door blending effectively into the wall of the quarterdeck, the veteran fighter scanned the immediate area for possible enemies. From the voices on the quarterdeck above, the proficient warrior knew the Captain was on the quarterdeck and as suspected he was issuing final orders to the night officer of the deck

Cautiously the tall brunette edged her way to under the gangway of the quarterdeck on the right side. Knowing that most people moved to their right, the cagy fighter figured from this position the Captain could easily be intercepted as he came down the stairwell on his way to his cabin.

Sure enough a couple of minutes later the Captain was strolling causally down the quarterdeck stairway. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard the click of a hammer of a gun locking into firing position and a young woman's voice coming from the shadows, "Who ere y'all and what ship's this one?"

The Captain chuckled, "Why Lass, earnt cha gonna tell me not to move and put me hands up?"

The experienced tactician replied, "No, I don't wont y'all's hands raised as a signal to y'all's crew that sumtin's gone amiss. As fer not movin' that aint rait either. I wont y'all to move smartly to the gangway doorway and open it; count to four; then close it. Iffin's y'all think y'all kin get through the doorway afore I keel ya; go fer it. But let me warn y'all this here ain't my first rodeo."

The experience sea Captain wasn't goin' to take any chances with figuring his chance would come later when the young woman let her cuard down. So the ship's commander answered, "This be the Sea Sprite III out of Swansea.

I'm Elijiah Smith. You were brought here at the behest of Lady Constance Ialw. She said you were a quest at the Isles Manor in London. Additionally she said you got drunk and nearly killed her daughter. Not wanting to hurt your feelings the Lady had chew sent home quietly. You were not to be harmed in any fashion."

Jane cursed under her breath. Maura's mother had trapped the normally untrusting warrior nicely. Goes to show you, you can never let your guard down under any circumstances. The dark Texan had become complacent and had paid the price.

The angry teenager responded curtly "Captain I don't drink excepting at a party and then never more than two. My name's Jane Rizzoli and y'all gonna turn around and go back to London."

The name astonished the Captain as he recalled his standing order concerning Jane Rizzoli. Remembering her description made it clear that this teenager matched it. The Captain cursed as well it seems Lady Isles and her mother were in conflict over this young woman. So he said cautiously, "How does I know yar Jane Rizzoli?"

The dark Texan responded, "Wal, y'll don't fer shore, but y'all wont to chance getting Lady Isles mad at chs?"

The veteran seaman nodded his agreement with that logic. However the ship's Captain thought about losing the time turning around. He was already eighteen hours out of London with the coastal winds behind him. It would take almost three full days to tack back to London against those same winds, unless somehow the prevailing winds changed. So the cautious commander replied, "I would lose at least five days and that could cost me my bonus."

The savvy brunette responded, "I'll talk to Maura and guarantee your bonus even if I have to take it out of my own pocket."

The stunned sea Captain replied, "How kin ya guarantee such a sum?"

The tough Texan wasn't used to anyone questioning her word, as she answered, "Mister, war I comes from callin' somebody a liar kin gitcha keeled. But y'all don't need to worry about chore money. I got it. Besides y'all got two choices: y'all kin turn around and go back or I kin keel ya and the chew kin turn around and go back."

When put like that the old seaman had little choice in the matter.

***SE***

Lady Maura came back her meetings slightly vexed. There had been talk that the Queen had offered her a betrothal with her Royal nephew. Though the honey blonde teenager had received no such offer officially she did not doubt it would come and soon. Her Highness would be savvy enough to see the advantages of having Isles Shipping with the wealth and ships that it offered.

Such a marriage would leave her less freedom than a marriage to anyone outside the Royal House. Additionally the Queen would want control Isles Shipping, which her nephew would certainly give her. If Maura was going to keep control of her ships and title she could never agree to a Royal marriage or any marriage for that matter.

When the young woman entered the London Manor she was greeted by Georgina, who greeted her by saying, "Milady, I have a message from Miss Rizzoli. She received another letter from her father. It seems her mother has taken ill and she was needed at home. She left this afternoon on the first available ship to America."

The young noblewoman was taken aback momentarily. This was the last thing the anxious teenager expected. Wanting time to consider all the ramifications of what was happening the honey blonde noble asked, "Do you know which ship?"

The efficient childhood friend replied, "Yes Milady, The Sea Sprite III."

Now the brilliant businesswoman knew something was amiss. Maura had perfect recall and knew that the Sea Sprite III was bound for New England. No matter the emergency, the level headed Texan would never have taken a ship to New England. Jane would have taken a ship to Charleston or New Orleans. So the suspicious Lady asked, "I expect there was a note?"

The saucy maid replied, "I beg Milady's pardon but Miss Rizzoli didn't have time to write a note. The ship was being held for her. I believe your mother made all the arrangements,"

Something definitely wasn't right Jane wrote notes for communication within the house why wouldn't the politician take the time to scribble a couple of paragraphs. It didn't make any sense.

Lady Isle handed the terrified maid her hat and umbrella and dashed off the check of Mrs. Cane. When the irritated honey blonde Lady entered the room she knew that Jane had not left of her own accord when she saw Jeremy laying on his new mother's bed. The protective Texan would never have left her ward behind. The angry noblewoman rushed off to confront her mother.

**Author's Note: I've written the rest of this scenario from the confrontation with Constance to the fight between Jane the ship's crew, but if I am going to keep it in the 2 to 4 thousand word framework. I must leave you with a cliffhanger. So enjoy. All comments are welcome.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Per popular request/demand I am going back to my long chapters, but am limiting them to 6k to 10k. Sorry about the delay between chapters. My computer acquired a very nasty little Trojan which made turning on my system impossible. I did lose a quarter of a chapter and had to recover it from memory. So, here's the newest chapter, finally. Hope you enjoy it. As always all comments are welcome.**

Chapter 15: Consequences

Lady Constance and her paramour were seated in the noblewoman's sitting room. While Gina was doing needlepoint, Lady Constance read Dickens's latest chapters. Both women were startled from their tasks when Lady Maura burst into the room yelling, "What did you do, Mother?"

The stunned brunette reprimanded, "Young Lady, you do not burst into a Lady's room unannounced, yelling like some street trollop. It's rude."

Not to be put off by her mother's admonishment, the infuriated young noble restarted, "Mother, do not try and divert my attention from my conversation. I will not have it! I know you did something to Jane. If you have harmed her in any way, I will have you and your new family shipped to Botany Bay. I promise you."

The viciousness of the attack had been unexpected as the statuesque brunette rebutted, "Dear, Miss Rizzoli was called home unexpectedly. All I did was to arrange for her transportation for the poor girl. She was very distraught over her mother's illness."

The irritated honey blonde sprung her trap, "Jeremy is still here. I talked with him. Jane would never have left the child behind. So I ask you again, what did you do, Mother?"

Realizing her error, the older noblewoman tried to resurrect her lie, "She asked if we could arrange to send him later as she was in a hurry and would be forced to travel quickly with little consideration of a youngster."

The brilliant honey blonde teen did not believe her mother. Her lover would never want the youngster traveling alone across the wilderness. So Maura responded, "Another lie, Mother. Jane would never let Jeremy travel alone. Now tell me what you did or by God I have you flogged until you tell me everything."

Gina realized that the young noblewoman would not be persuaded by anything but the truth. Lady Constance's lover feared for the older woman, she could see the anger radiating from the smaller slighter teen, but knew at this moment the young woman was capable of executing her threats. So the concern paramour interrupted, "Milady, she is unharmed. She was drugged and put on a ship for America. My… your mother was concerned for your future. You haven't been told but Her Majesty the Queen has sent a request of betrothal into the Royal House. You have the opportunity to become a Princess."

The honey blonde teenager hung her head in despair. Her lover had been drugged and sent to America by her own mother. The appalled daughter retorted, "I anticipated such a proposal days ago. I knew once I started working closely with the Palace and the Prime Minister the scope and power of Isles Shipping would come under scrutiny. At which point, it would occur to the Queen and particularly her husband that that power would be better serve Her Majesty if it were in Royal hands.

Knowing I am a single woman and that my right of inheritance only extends to my remaining so, the Queen rightly wants me to marry into her family rather into some other family where that power would be transferred to my husband. Her Royal Highness wants to control Isles Shipping and Isles Ships through a husband of her choosing.

Mother, I have told you before Jane came here I will never marry. Should I do so I would have to relinquish my control of Isles Shipping and my title to my husband. Can I not get you to understand I will not relinquish my control of my life and my inheritance to anyone?

Were I to marry the Queen's choice of husband he would control Isles Shipping, the ships and my title, thereby giving control of all our ships to Her Majesty. How long do you think they would remain Isles ships before the Queen took possession of them in the name of the Crown? As it is I am going to have to keep Her Majesty from trying to control me and my ships through usage and patriotic fervor. Her Highness will try to bully me into using my ships for Her exclusive gain and use."

Gina heard the young teenager's reasoning and knew the bright honey blonde was correct in her assessment of the situation. However, Constance was not convinced. So the young widow answered, "You are young. You have no idea what you are denying yourself. You will have no children without a husband. What comfort will you have? Can that woman provide you with the warmth and safety of marriage? You will never know the happiness of marriage.

You will grow old and alone. I have your best interest at heart. I wish I could have had the opportunity that you are being presented. I would have embraced a Royal Marriage, so that my children could be in line for the throne. Don't you see what you are giving up?"

Lady Maura looked at Gina and saw the hurt her mother's words had caused. The French nursemaid had surrendered her heart to her mother and yet you hear the bitterness and unhappiness in her mother's speech. So the young noblewoman responded, "Mother, I already have a daughter whom I intend to adopt, much like you did. You had no children from you womb. Does that mean I am not your daughter? I call you Mother because in my heart you are.

And what of Gina, did Father make you as happy as this WOMAN has? Your bitterness over your marriage had tainted your perspective and you have lost sight of what is within your grasp and what could have been. Are Gina and her daughters any less your family because she is a woman and not a man?

You have spent almost all your adult life with her at your side. Does that not mean anything to you? Should Gina have been a man to make you happy? I do not think you have MY best interest at heart, but you own ambitions and living the life you want through me.

Mother I warned you. Pack your things; take Gina and Georgina with you. I am sending you to an abbey outside Bordeaux. You will be able to reflect on your soul and what is really important to you, Mother.

Fight me on this, Mother, and I will send you bound and naked into Botany Bay so help me I will. Gina, you and Georgina are just as guilty. As far as I know, Bridgette was not involved. She may remain if she so wishes.

Gina was shocked at the coldness in the tender young woman's voice. However the concerned mother had a wrong to right as she said, "Georgina was deceived as much as you. She had no idea she was delivering a false message. I told her that Miss Rizzoli left the message with me and had her deliver it. I thought you would trust your childhood friend. I had not counted on your mother's plan being so ill conceived. I was blinded by my love for her and now I see that that love was misplaced.

For all the love that I have given you over the years, could you send me elsewhere? It seems I am not as beloved as I imagined. I gave your mother all my love and my soul and now it seems I was little more than a distraction. I wish not to inconvenience her any further."

Lady Constance was stunned. The older noblewoman loved this Frenchwoman more than she could describe and yet it seemed the woman was abandoning her in her hour of need. So the hurt brunette responded, "Yes, Maura, send her away from me. I need no one who is so disloyal as to abandon me when I am laid low."

The young heiress shook her head in shame, tears rolled down her eyes as she mourned the loss of the image of her mother. The honey blonde teen had idolized her and now she found her mother to be petty and cruel. Hence, Lady Isles replied, "As you will, Mother. Who is it who will grow old alone? Is it I or the woman who shuns all that love her? Gina, I will send you to America. You will go to Jane's home with a letter from me. From there you may do as you will. Your daughters may accompany you or they may stay with me.

I must apologize for my mother. I fear she has lost her way and will regret this day very much. However she must learn this lesson… alone."

***SE***

Jane Rizzoli held a pistol at the back of the captain as he walked up the stairway leading to the quarterdeck. The old seaman had agreed to return to London, however the cautious warrior never trusted a vanquished foe or anyone else for that matter, well she did trust her family and Maura. Jane knew Maura would be distraught over her disappearance and knew Lady Constance had devised some story making her departure necessary.

Captain Smith in actually wasn't totally convinced that returning to London was the correct move. However, the young woman's determination and handgun made it the more prudent move at the moment. When the pair reached the quarterdeck, a prod from the Le Mat reminded the older man who really was in charge at the moment.

The stalwart sea Captain ordered, "Come about, Helmsman. We return to London. Mr. Chantry call all hands to deck. This young woman is Jane Rizzoli and you know we have standing orders to give her any assistance at anytime, no questions asked."

The young officer was well aware of the standing order as were all officers in the Isles fleet. The dashing young man eyed the lovely young American and smiled his most alluring smile, which she faintly returned. Taking this as encouragement, the handsome seaman moved toward the woman with the intent of getting better acquainted. Taking this sudden movement as threatening, the veteran warrior lashed out with her pistol across the back of the Captain's head.

The stunned old man fell to the deck as the younger officer froze in his tracks staring frightenedly at the cocked weapon. The sea Captain stirred slowly as he willed himself to remain conscious. The frightened second officer held up his hands and said, "I war jest gonna introduce meself. I thought cha liked me a bit and I war gonna try and get ta know cha better."

Jane didn't quite understand what the youngster wanted, but she replied, "Get to know me from over there and y'all kin say y'all's howdies from there too."

The young man backed away from the dark Texan two steps before hitting the giant steering wheel while very deliberately keeping his hands in plain view. The older seaman at the wheel kept his eyes on the heading and did his best to avoid making any eye contact with the very dangerous American. Captain Smith managed to get to his hands and feet and after a short rest to force the fog from his brain, the old man was able to stand with very little wobble.

The still groggy sailor looked hard at his young second officer and growled, "Iffin ya do anything like that agin boy, I'll roast ya meself. You hit hard, Missy, but I kin hardly blame ye since we'uns brung ya here in a sack."

Jane felt a little guilty about reacting so quickly, but years of reflects were impossible to assuage and who would want to. In West Texas in 1851, if you hesitate you would wind up dead. There was no room for errors on the plains and the veteran fighter knew that, however she did apologize somewhat, "I'm sorry fer hittin' y'all afore I knowed all the facts, but iffin y'all try me y'all get worse."

***SE***

***SE***

Once the crew was assembled on deck, Jane looked over them and saw one familiar face. Coopersmith Jones. Coopersmith had been a crewman on the ship with which the tough Texan had crossed the Atlantic. He had been in the crow's nest when the crack riflewoman had taken out the pirates. The wise American gave the man her famous Rizzoli smile to let him know the wily young woman remembered him fondly.

Jane called out, "Coopersmith do y'all member me?"

The experienced sailor replied, "Aye, Miss Rizzoli, who could forgit such a shot as ye made agin them pirates. Lads, dat dere lassie shot six helmsmen when dey manned the wheel from eight hundred yards, I twere a foot."

Jane remembered it as being fewer men and closer in, but who was she to argue when it was in her favor not to. Hell by the time it got around the wharf the expert riflewoman had probably sunk the ship with a single ball. The legendary hunter was used to exaggerated tales of her exploits. Her fight with the Kiowa got larger and more bloody with exch telling by Mustang Korsak and Red Blanket.

Jane spared a glance at the Captain who now had confirmation of the tall Texan's identity and now he knew he had to bring her back to London or face the wrath of Lady Isles. It was no secret that the two women were close friends. As for that matter, there were rumors they were more than just friends. Servents do talk.

The veteran fighter saw the look of acceptance in the man's eyes and knew she had won him over to her side. Then addressing the crew the wily American knew had she win them over, "I am Jane Rizzoli. I've been shanghaied onto y'all's ship and wont to go back to London. I got bidness thar. Iffin y'all get me back to London in three days, I'll personally pay every man jack o'ya a double bonus."

The sailors started mumbling to each other with the joy that only money in their pockets can bring. Jane let them enjoy the moment before the tall American continued, "I'm told by y'all's Captain that y'all gonna haveta work hard tagit us back ta London in three days."

Captain Smith interrupted the exchange, "Men, war gonna haveta work day and night to tack back to London. The winds ere agin us. So, I wont my officers to split ya up into two teams. So, ya kin man the lines day and night. Ya'll work fer a watch and eat and sleep fer a watch dat way we kin ave fresh men on the lines at all times. Mr. Smith and Mr. Chantry split 'em up. Mr. Smith ya got the first watch. Gitta work!"

The Captain suggested to Jane, "Miss Rizzoli, will ya join me for a meal?"

Jane smiled, "Shore, I'm so hungry, I could eat a grizzly fur and all. I suggest y'all invite Coopersmith to dinner as well."

The confused seaman asked, "Why would I do that?"

The tall brunette smirked, "Cause when a man saves y'all's life y'all at least owes him a good meal."

The even more confounded sailor questioned, "How did he save my life?"

Chocolate brown eyes looked the man in the eye and responded, "Cause, iffin I'd any doubt y'all believed who I war and brung me back to London, I'd've kilt y'all and took over the dang ship."

The shocked Captain swallowed hard and queried, "Ya'd kilt me? Ain't that a little harsh."

The merciless plainswoman answered, "Mister, war I come from it's damn harsh and iffin y'all ain't harsh too, then they'll bury ya in a shallow grave."

For the first time, the wily sea Captain understood how dangerous this young lady really was.

***SE***

Maura had no idea of what to do. The ship had left port over twelve hours ago and there wasn't another Isles ship in port and wouldn't be for another four days. The brilliant businesswoman had sent Hugh down to her shipping office with orders to find her a ship at whatever cost. All the terrified young noble could do now was wait and hope.

A knock at her study door interrupted her worries, as she answered, "Come in."

Her personal maid, Irene, entered with a curtsy as she said, "Milady, her Ladyship would like a word wit ya iffin ya please."

Maura sighed. Irene was fairly new at her duties and her language needed work, so the patient heiress replied, "Irene, you need to practice your English. You should have said, 'Milady, her Ladyship would like a word with you at your pleasure.' Please repeat properly."

The intimidated girl really couldn't see the difference, but her Lady had given her instructions and she was duty bound to carry them out, "Milady, her Ladyship would like a word WITH YOU at your pleasure."

The honey blonde noblewoman smiled her appreciation at her young maid efforts and responded, "Tell my mother I have no wish to speak with her until she understands her transgression. Tell Bidgette and Georgina I would like to see them."

The gay young woman curtsied as she left the room. No sooner had her maid left the room, her mother burst into the room angrily shouting, "How dare you refuse to speak to your Mother…"

Maura interrupted the tirade by repeating the very words her mother had used only moments earlier, "Mother, you do not burst into a Lady's room unannounced, yelling like some street trollop. It's rude."

Remembering the exchanged the stymied noblewoman responded, "Dearest, please talk to me."

Maura's frustration got the best of her as she replied, "Mother, you have wounded me. I may never forgive you. At this moment I hate the sight of you. I despise the person who stands before me. You drove the very people who loved you from you of your own free will. What you did to me was tragic. What you did to Gina was criminal.

That woman loved you so much she risked her children to please you. I know you do not realize the consequences of your actions today, but a few months in that Convent will allow you come to terms with your actions. Then you may find a way to mend the fences you have destroyed this day.

Now go pack and leave me be for if I see you one more time before you leave for France, then you may find yourself in Botany Bay in a very compromising position."

The stricken mother wanted to answer her child and plead her case, but one look into the suddenly hardened eyes told her that would be an unfortunate error on her part. The saddest part was the lost noblewoman really loved her Gina, but her pride prevented her from begging her forgiveness. So the lonely woman went to find herself in an Abbey in France.

***SE***

Jane stood at the bow and looked over the sea before her wondering if Maura was worried or if her young lover would believe the lies being told her by her mother. The heartsick Texan thought about whether or not she would believe such a tale from her mother's mouth and decided that Maura would believe the lie because a daughter trusts her mother to tell her the truth.

Her only hope was to return to London as fast as she could and hope that nothing happened to Maura in the interim.

***SE***

Hugh came back to the manor with word that he had procured a ship, but that it needed fitting and resupply. It would take a full two days to have it in condition necessary for crossing the dangerous Atlantic Ocean. There was little that young honey blonde could do but wait.

Lady Isles ordered her staff to prepare her luggage for a long voyage. As the agitated noblewoman went about he house issuing instructions on what to do in preparation for the voyage, the grieving heiress encountered her mother with her luggage. The older woman tried to speak, but the angry teenager held up her hand as a warning not to say another word.

***SE***

Two days later, Paddy Doyle arrived in London just in time to hear about the rift between Lady Isles and her mother. The former smuggler was irritated and bewildered as to how this situation had come about. However sources also informed him that Jane Rizzoli was missing and was presumed to have returned to America.

However, Jane Rizzoli was not his problem at the moment and was quite capable of taking care of herself. No…Henri Martine was his problem and that problem needed to be eliminated before the evil man can do his daughter any harm.

Paddy went to the Sea Serpent, a sailor's pub on the East wharf to talk to a couple of his informants in an effort to find Martine. The cagy former smuggler was not convinced his advisory had left England as was supposed. He knew the man had to eliminate his daughter if he was going to maintain control of his Barony in France.

The irony was had the man approached Lady Maura in the beginning before she found out what kind of man he was, the wealthy heiress would probably had renounced her inheritance in France as she was quite content with what she had in England. The size and scope of her financial empire now was quite enough without the complication of a Barony in a country that was an enemy of the Empire.

Paddy found his men at a table awaiting his arrival. The three sailors were ill kept and ill tempered, but were perfect spies for the seedy wharf areas. The wary Irishman noted that one man was missing and asked, "War's Dutchman Pete?"

The oldest of the men answered, "Sorry, Captain, but he war shanghaied by the Navy to man that new frigate at Newgate. He got took by the sweeps. I gots me eye on a new man off the Sea Spray I. He be loyal to Lady Isles cause she brung his maw from the homeland when she took sickly."

The apprehensive spymaster inquired, "I thought the sweeps war a thing of the past, when did dey start agin?"

A second seaman replied, "Sir, dey started the day after Lady Isles bought a ship at twice the price it should gone fer. My guess's the Queen's worried why seeing she already has more ships at sea than the entire English Navy."

The worried father could see Her Majesty's point of view. If Lady Isles were in league with the French, she might be able to disrupt the English Navy by cutting off their supply line. At the moment Isles shipping controlled almost sixty percent of the trade in rum, one of the most vital supplies in the Fleet.

If Her Highness was suspect duplicity by Lady Maura then the Queen could take action by seizing the Isles fleet. For that the Crown would need the English Navy at full strength and in a hurry. The question was why had Lady Isles bought that extra ship? Why didn't she simply wait until one of her ships came into port and use it?

After much reflection, the veteran spy king posed the same questions to his three spies, "Why did Lady Isles buy the ship, isn't there an Isles ship due in port soon?"

The third of his informants responded, "Nobody knows asure, but the rumor's that it's to do with the Rizzoli woman. She's gone missin'?"

The shocked father knew his daughter was infatuated with the Rizzoli girl, but to risk everything to find a missing American was insane. From his information, the Rizzoli girl had gotten a letter from home and went to help her sick mother. Why would Maura be so upset as to risk so much to go after someone simply going home? There was more to this than he was hearing.

So, Doyle determined he had to go to Isles Manor and find out more information. Therefore, the wily spymaster ordered, "I want you men to find Henri Martine. I know he's still in London. Michael, I wontcha to make sure of this recruit of yourn and when ya sure of him ya bring him to me."

Michael replied, "Aye, Captain."

The three spies left with their orders, while Paddy Doyle contemplated his next move. After a few minutes, the crafty former smuggler rose from his seat and flipped a gold sovereign onto the table. As the careful spy king left, he noticed a man in rags for clothes got up from his seat to follow him. Paddy smiled to himself and turned into an alley.

***SE***

Lady Isles was worried. The ship the young heiress had purchased had generated a summons from the Prime Minister. It had been a polite note, but there was no denying that it was a summons and that it had been the Queen's idea.

Now the diminutive noblewoman in her fashionable dress awaited His Honor's presence in the small waiting room at Number 10 Downing St. The intelligent businesswoman knew that his sudden purchase of a ship so soon after her other ships had been used in smuggling arms would cause suspicion. However, the confident young teenager had assumed that her lengths at remedying the situation would have shown her loyalty to the Crown.

On the other hand Isles Shipping was still a luscious prize that the Queen would covet. Therefore the Lady Isles answered the note promptly and arranged this meeting. That Lord Russell was keeping her waiting was not a good sign.

The dapper Lord personally came out to greet the anxious honey blonde teenager. The well tutored young noble curtsied the most respective amount plus a little more and was reward by a bow and a kiss of her outturned hand.

The busy nobleman came right to the point, "Lady Isles, why did you purchase that ship? And most importantly why did you refuse the Queen's proposal?"

Both questions had been anticipated, so the brilliant noblewoman answered, "Lord Minister, I purchased the ship because I needed transportation for personal reasons. It seems my mother engaged in some questionable activities that hurt me deeply. I am provisioning that ship because I have a rescue mission to perform as a result.

It has nothing to do with what is being done by me to protect the Crown and Isles Shipping. As to my refusing Her Highness's proposal on the behalf of her nephew you know the answer. I will not be the puppet of any man. I will maintain control of Isles interest and the title and not lose it to any husband."

Lord Russell had assumed as much and applauded the young woman's thinking. The intelligent teenager was far more able than anyone the Queen choice to take her place. Frankly, the Prime Minister felt it was in the best interest of the Empire that Isle Shipping be run by this very capable young woman. The Lord Minister had said as much to the Queen and would do so again.

So, the accomplished Prime Minister got back to the thing that confused him the most, "Explain to me why you felt it necessary to buy another ship when have two ships making port in the next five days?"

The smart young maiden had no choice but to explain her action so she answered, "Prime Minister my mother drugged Jane Rizzoli and had her put on ship unconscious for America. I'm going to retrieve her. For that I needed a ship in a hurry because every day I sit that ship gets further away;"

Lord Russell nodded his understanding. The observant veteran politician recalled the relationship between the two young women and suddenly knew that Lady Maura was in love with the brash Texan. The Queen could never know this because she would not react in the best interest of the nation. As a result the cagy Minister stopped his questioning because he feared the answers. Lord Russell knew enough to ascertain there was nothing about which to worry.

He would explain matters to the Queen in such a way as to alleviate her fears and guard this important young woman's secret. That Lady Isles's mother could do something so stupid made him angry. The incompetent fool could have ruined the security of maritime shipping in England. That would be a disaster.

Fortunately the woman failed. Now the Lady Maura was going to have to clean up the mess. Now the cagy Prime Minister knew why the Lady Constance had been sent to a convent in France. That action coupled with the ship purchased had spawned all this distrust. Lord Russell was relieved. He would not have relished a confrontation with this brilliant young woman. The Empire would suffer from the confrontation.

***SE***

Jane looked over the water as the bow cut lightly through the water on the conversation that had taken place at the Captain's dinner party the tough Texan's first night on the ship. The Captain had indeed invited Coopersmith Jones, his first and second officer as well as the ship's surgeon, Dr. Hanson Lane, a veterinarian from America. The good doctor had been in Texas during the Mexican War and had treated many war wounded, which made the animal doctor perfect for as a ship's surgeon as most of his patients were from men who had fallen from the sheets or had been too slow with the lines.

Being the first night to sea and that the ship was returning to port there was no reason for the Captain to ration the delicacies he had brought for his personal rations. So his steward served pea soup with fresh bread, roasted chicken and lamb, greens with onions, boiled potatoes and a fresh pudding. Limeade was available as was rum and a fruity wine from Spain.

However the most delightful part of the evening was the conversation. Jane had dressed in one of her favorite dinner gowns to the delight and pleasure of those at the table. The Captain and his officers were in their dress uniforms, which were a requirement for anyone who served as an officer on an Isles ship. Coopersmith wore a borrowed shirt from one of the boson mates and freshly laundered pants. His hair was still damp from its washing though it was neatly combed.

When the common seaman arrived he was very nervous. Common seamen were seldom invited to the Captain's cabin other than to be reprimanded. However it was made clear to older sailor that he was there for dinner at the personal invitation of the Captain himself. The gracious seadog greeted his shipmate with a firm handshake and a frank welcome, "Come in Seaman Jones. It's a delight ta have ya chere. I'm so grateful to ye fer savin' me life. Dinner's da least I kin do."

The confused sailor came in but couldn't for the life of him figure out how he had saved the Captain's life. Dressed in her lovely aqua blue gown the tall Texan sweep in for the rescue as she said, "Yeah, Coopersmith, had y'all spoken up fer me I would've had to keel the Captain and pirate the ship. Y'all saved more than one life today."

The other officers laughed at the obvious pun, well other than Coopersmith, who had seen the efficient killer in action and the Captain who had felt the truth in her earlier statements. The wary old salt responded to the laughter by saying, "She's serious gentlemen. She would keel every man jack of us to get back to London. Let's jest be grateful that ain't nesasorry."

The men stopped laughing as the fashionably dressed young woman held a LeMat pistol in her hand to emphasis the statement. For further emphasis, the experienced warrior cocked the weapon and said, "He ain't jossin' boys I've kilt jest about every livin' creature thar's on God's green Earth and I kin keel every one of y'all iffin I hasta. But I don't does I. So let's eat and enjoy ourselves, cause y'all kaint teal when y'all's time's come. Kinya?"

The men swallowed hard as they eyed the cocked pistol. The Captain burst into laughter at the sight of his wide eyed officers. As the wily American uncocked her pistol and returned it to its hiding place so adeptly that no one saw where it went, Dr. Lane smirked, "Boys, I heared of Jane Rizzoli and her father Big Frank in Texas. She ain't no pilgrim. I heared she kilt twenty Kiowa in a raid on the Comanche."

Jane chuckled, "It war more like sixteen than twenty."

The two young officers rushed to pull out the young lady's chair as she started to sit, which amused the Captain even more. These youngsters were in for a shock as this young teenager would have no interest in either of young rascals. This was a serious woman meant for a serious man. What he didn't know is she had no interest in men at all, except to use as a means to get back to her Maura.

Mr. Smith managed to win the brief contest as he pulled out the chair and the lovely brunette sat gracefully into it. The men then arranged themselves in their seats as fitting of their rank. The Captain at he head of the table. Mr. Smith to his right and Mr. Chantry to his left, next to Mr. Smith sat the good doctor and to Mr. Chantry's right sat Coopersmith. At the other end of the table sat the smiling Jane Rizzoli.

After the soup was served, Mr. Chantry asked, "Ma'am wouldcha have kilt us?"

The younger teenager laughed at the naïve eomment, "I should smile boy. War I come from iffin y'all ain't willin' to keel y'all'd be dead inside a day. I war six when I kilt my first critter. I war ten when I kilt my first man. I've kilt men usin' guns, a bow and arrow, knives and an axe. Why thar ain't a weepon on this Earth I ain't kilt with. Sos to answer y'all's question, damn rat I woulda. I dint axe ta be har y'all brung me."

The gracious Captain replied, "Ma'am had I knowed who ya war, I woulda never been a part of it. I's sorry fer me part and I assure ye it war not me intension to kidnap anybody. We war told ye war gonna go home but'd gotten drunk at ye's gonna away party and passed out."

Now, the dark Texan knew why such a upstanding man like the Captain had taken part in a shanghai. Surely Lady Constance had to have known she would talk to the crew. Clearly the jealous mother had not thought the entire plan through to its conclusion. It was a common mistake of people to only consider the suggest of a plan and not plan for the possibilities of failure.

Mr. Smith questioned her integrity by asking, "How kain a fine young woman like yourself keel anything at all. Yar a likely young woman and it ain't fittin' yar carryin' a gun like that."

The Doctor interrupted, "Ya must understand Mr. Smith in West Texas everybody carries a weapon. Every man, woman and child carries somethin' to protect themselves, cause thar ain't no law out thar to protect 'em, sos they's gotta do it tharselves. Ya kin sitchere and discuss it like thar another way but war she lives thar ain't no other way. I's seen it wit me own eyes and I kin tell ya that she'd keel ya sooner than eat ya."

Mr. Chantry queried, "Shouldn't she have some discretion in her keelin'? I mean ya kaint go around keelin' everybody. It ain't civilized."

Jane reacted by saying, "Mr. Chantry, ain't I civil?"

The confused young man answered, "Watcha mean?"

Jane reiterated, "I mean wat I said. Ain't I civil?"

The youngster tentatively replied, "Shore, ye be civil. We's talkin' rait nicely rat now."

Then Jane asked, "Well, ain't that wat civilized means a person who's civil?"

The Captain laughed, "She's gotcha thar, Boy. Miss Rizzoli, fer me part, I welcome yar honesty. Most gals'll hymn and haw. Ye jest gits rait to the point. Gentlemen, a toast to Miss Rizzoli, 'To Honesty.'"

Every man lifted a glass in salute and replied in unison, "To Honesty."

The girl's conscience asked, 'Are you really being honest or jest manipulative?'

The tough teenager didn't have an answer other than she didn't ask to be here.

***SE***

Red Blanket sat at the table as Big Frank carved the venison joint that the Indian chief had brought as a present. The old warrior had been invited to listen to the words Jane had sent from across the big water. The wily Indian chief missed the dark warrior and welcome to hear her words.

When Red Blanket came with two warriors and a fresh flank of venison, Big Frank welcomed them and ordered his men to prepare a barbecue, which was organized in no time. Angela not wanting any drunken Indians or cowboys for that matter spoiling the evening demanded no alcohol. For the occasion, the prepared housewife brought pitchers of lemonade, orangeade and apple cider.

It was a great party and the reading of Jane's letter made it all the happier until everyone realized how much she was missed.

***SE***

Paddy Doyle came to the back door and was greeted by his daughter's manservant, Hugh, "Mr. Doyle, it's good ta see ya. Things ain't goin' well chere. Lady Maura is beside herself in grief at havinta send her mother away and losing Miss Rizzoli."

The worried father asked, "Where's she now?"

The effective bodyguard responded, "Seeing the Prime Minister."

The now even more concerned father queried, "Then why ain'tcha wit her? Who's guardin' her?"

The equally worried bodyguard replied, "Dint have a choice. The Prime Minister sent a squad of Palace guards to escort Milady. I've got four of me best watchin' th house to make shore nothin' goes wrong."

The disturbed former smuggler ordered, "Hugh come wit me. We's gointa watch our Lady come home safe."

Instantly the two men were out the door.

***SE***

When the young heiress left the Prime Minister, she was greeted by twenty armed men, a mixture of her bodyguards, sailors and others she had never seen before. At the head of the mob were Hugh and her father, the honey blonde noblewoman asked, "Nice to see you, Mr. Doyle. Hugh, who are these men and why are you here?"

Paddy answered for the bewildered bodyguard, "I brought him and these men to make sure you get home. Martine is out there and I just don't trust Palace guard to protect you."

The small noblewoman smiled brightly at the sincere love she felt from her people as she answered, "Well let us get home quickly then."

With her army of guards and a squad of Palace guards, Lady Isles arrived home without an incident.

***SE***

However, the peace of the evening was interrupted by a mob of sailors attacking the front gate of Isles Manor. Her guards were quickly overwhelmed and torch carrying sailors burst through the Lady's gates and tossed their flaming brands through the large windows of the Manor.

Soon the mob was driven away by reinforcements from the house. Servants worked quickly to extinguish the flames. Four of her guards died in the honey blonde teenager's defense and one servant was severely burned. Lady Maura cried for those killed and ordered a pension for all the families.

The normally dossal noblewoman looked at those who had died and vowed Henri Martine's capture when she returned from recovering Jane. Paddy Doyle vowed this would be Henri Martine's final day on Earth. As the Lady went into the Manor House, the old smuggler blended into the shadows as he went to find the evil baron.

***SE***

Lady Isles awoke early to prepare for her voyage to overtake the Sea Sprite III. The ship she had commissioned was a fast brig, a former warship that had been decommissioned and sold as a trading ship some thirty-four years earlier. Her people had spent the last two days making her trim and fit for the voyage across the Atlantic.

Lady Maura's luggage was packed and ready to be delivered to her new home until the honey blonde teenager found her Jane. Hugh had packed as well as he was accompanying the young woman to America. Additionally four other bodyguards would be joining the sixty man crew, all hand-picked by Captain Jones, the Captain of this voyage.

The normal crew for such a ship was fifteen men. However, with such a valuable cargo, Hugh was taking no chances. The eight gun ports per side were fully operational and needed manpower to operate them. As there was no cargo, the men were not overly crowded.

As the afternoon moved slowly forward, Lady Isles boarded her carriage to make the trip to the dock where her brig awaited. After last night's incident, forty veteran seamen accompanied the carriage slowly through the London streets. It was slow progress, however the extra security was worth it. The carriage arrived without an incident.

On the evening tide, Lady Isles was boarding her newest ship in order to catch said tide, when a man cried out ain't that the Sea Sprite III was coming into port. Sure enough at the bow of the ship was her tall Texan with her long curly black hair catching the evening breeze as though those curls were waving to the relieved young woman from afar.


End file.
